Stirring Passions
by cookiecravings
Summary: SHIKAxINO. Growing attraction to each other become clear as Ino and Shika get caught up in a dare gone out of control. A third party or more, get in the way and cause some hilarious trouble. Mendokuse. CHAPTER 13: Reunions & Confessions
1. The Dare

_**AN:**__ After reading so much fanfics about a lot of different anime and novels, I couldn't resist writing about ShixIno. They played major roles in the anime but had enough blurry character detail left for us fanfic writers (Ha! I'm one of you now. Yay!) to mess around with. I tried to stick to character as close as possible and this fic happened during the Naruto II arc but no promises on the other historical details from the manga._

_**DISCLAIMER**__: I own nothing. I am merely one among a legion of others feverishly tracking the progress of the story of Naruto and creating fanfics of said story as a humble offering to the great Masashi Kishimoto,not that he'd even deign to acknowledge said offer._

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Ino took one last look at her reflection. "Perfect." Smiling, with a flip of her long blonde hair, Ino headed out of her apartment with new resolve. It had only been a week ago when she got into an intense arguement with Shikamaru that ended with a dare neither of them could back down from.

_Flashback:_

"Shikamaru!"

Lazily cracking one eye open, Shikamaru looked up from his position in the grass to find Ino glaring at him from above.

"Oi," Shikamaru returned to his dozing.

"Hey! I'm trying to talk to you here." Ino sat down next him and poked him on his side.

He sighed, "I can still hear you even with my eyes closed, Ino. What is it?"

"Why aren't you training with Chouji and me anymore?"

This time, Shikamaru opened both his eyes and stared at the sky. After a long moment he answered, "I'm a jounin now, Ino. I have to lead people when I'm assigned on missions. Missions that are usually B rank to S rank. I have to undergo training that you or Chouji aren't yet ready for."

"Huh. I know that Shika. But even after you made jounin and trained with the other jounin, the three of us still managed to train together. Why did you suddenly stop coming?" Ino had her arms crossed over her chest and was looking pointedly at Shikamaru. "And I can tell you right now that Chouji knows why but won't tell me. That makes me think that you're deliberately keeping something from me."

Ino was right, thought Shikamaru. The three of them have always been close and their bond had grown stronger after Asuma-sensei passed away. He was telling Ino the truth when he said his training took up much of his time and that the responsibility of his position was weighing on him.

She had a point though. These concerns never prevented him from continuing his training with the two of them. It's just that, lately he's been feeling..._strange _whenever he was sparring with Ino. Bothered by the restless feelings he felt around her, he decided to fix the problem by limiting their meetings as much as possible until he could figure out what it was that got his insides churning whenever he was near the blonde. When he'd told Chouji this, his best friend just stared at him intently for a second and said cryptically that it was about time he did something about it.

Shikamaru looked at the girl beside him. Already, his gut was starting to churn, "It's not a big deal, Ino. I just need some time alone to think some things through."

"Fine," she huffed. "_I'm_ still going to need to train and until you figure out whatever it is that's keeping you occupied now, I guess I'll be training with Hyuga Neji instead."

He sat up, "Eh? What happened to Chouji?"

"He requested leave from the Godaime. In two days time he and his family will be leaving for Suna to visit a cousin who's getting married to one of the Suna nin and since _you're_ too busy to be bothered I'll have to go along with the Godaime and train with Neji for the next three weeks." Ino looked at Shikamaru accusingly.

"Why Neji?" he asked.

"The Kage thought it would be a good experiment for us both to see how our techniques will work against each other. Besides, Neji doesn't get to go on a lot of missions right now because he's training for the jounin exam," Ino perked up. "Hmmm..Neji _is_ very good-looking. Atleast, training with him will be a pleasant change after training with you guys. Ha!" she gazed laughingly at him to see his reaction.

The Hokage didn't know that the three still continued their training together until recently and so must have decided that this was the only solution for Ino while Chouji was away. The Hokage had yet to find another shinobi to replace Shikamaru which made the Godaime's actions logical, but this did not stop him from feeling irritated at the thought of the Hyuga genius training with Ino.

Forcefully tamping down the feeling, he shrugged, "Neji can use the extra exercise. Not that it would be too strenuous for him. With his Byakugan, you'll be the one who'll be put through their paces."

"What do you mean by that?"

He looked over at Ino and observed her gearing herself up for a tirade.

"I happen to be getting really good with my technique and I've even started trying out a couple of new jutsu! Just because you haven't trained with us lately, doesn't mean Chouji and I have slacked off! I'm not lazy like you, you know! I can't believe you'd say something so overbearingly arroga-"

Shikamaru stood up and started walking away, "Baka," he paused and looked behind him at Ino, "I know you don't slack off. I'm saying that training with Neji will hone your skills faster than if you'd train with me. As you said, I'm lazy so I don't normally put my all when fighting with you. Heh. You might even finally beat me in a sparring match." He smirked at the idea.

Ino stood up with hands on her hips, "Alright then. I'll make you eat those words. In three weeks my training with Neji will end. Meet me at our old training ground and I'll show you that no Yamanaka will back down from a challenge from a Nara." A fierce gleam was shining in her eyes. Shikamaru always pushed her buttons. Really, the guy needed to be brought down a peg or two.

He tilted his head and looked off into space, "No. Too troublesome. Ja ne," he continued walking away.

"Stop right there Nara Shikamaru!"

Still facing away he sighed exasperatedly, "What now?"

"Scared I'd beat you?"

"Ino," he started patiently, "Forget what I said. I was just teasing you. Let it go already." He turned to walk away.

"If you beat me," Ino took a deep breath. "I'll be your housekeeper for a month."

That should get his attention. Shikamaru, being the lazy ninja that he is, never paid much attention to cleaning house. His apartment was full of scattered clothes and strewn scrolls. Not to mention the pile of dirty dishes taking up permanent residence in his sink. Typical bachelor's pad.

Shikamaru slowly pivoted. "With home cooked meals in the bargain?" Ever since he moved out of his parents house what he regretted the most was having to make do with instant ramen or take out food since he couldn't cook a decent meal to save his life. Ino's cooking on the other hand...well, it was certainly better than anything he could come up with in the kitchen and the prospect of coming home to a clean apartment and hot home cooked meals definitely had merits.

"Dinners only," Ino rolled her eyes. Negotiating now? She wasn't even that good a cook but if that's what it will take to get him to take her up on her dare, then she'll include the meals in the bargain. She was certain that the new jutsu she mentioned earlier was something that he'd never seen before and she knew if she trained doubly hard with Neji, Shikamaru would be in for an unpleasant shock when the time came for their match.

"Okay, you got yourself a deal," Shikamaru chuckled lazily.

"What do I get if I win?"

That gave him pause, "Tell me, why _do_ you want this match so badly?" He stared at her intensely.

She hesitated. Come to think of it, she got so infuriated with his implications that before she could stop herself the challenge was issued. When he tried to brush her off it spurned her even more to the point that the challenge has turned into a dare of sorts. Maybe it was because she was hurt that he didn't tell her his reason for missing their trainings, and after finding out that he was holding back when sparring and that comment about never being strong enough...The thoughts swirling in her head were too confusing to deal with right now. She just felt this overwhelming desire to prove herself capable. To show Shikamaru that..that..

"...Because I want you to take me seriously!" Ino burst out finally. "Apparently, I'm such a weak nin that I don't even deserve to have your full attention when you're fighting with me." She breathed deeply, not noticing how his eyes automatically glanced down at her chest.

"Ino..." Realizing where he was staring at, he quickly looked away reddening slightly. "I don't think that-"

"Look, whatever. You agreed to the dare. As for what I get, I-I don't care. Make something up that's of equivalent value to what your win will be." Ino shut her eyes for a second. When she opened them, she gave him a smirk, "I _will _make you eat those words, Shikamaru." With that parting shot, she sauntered away from him.

Shikamaru gazed after her. The tail end of her blonde hair brushed teasingly against her back as she walked. He stood riveted, absently staring at her swaying hips and couldn't help the reluctant admiration he felt for her nervy challenge. _For someone obsessed with being thin, when did her chest get so- _Shikamaru hastily shook his head free of the thought and groaned. He took out his hand from his pocket and rubbed it against the side of his neck. He finally figured out the reason for his uneasiness around Ino. At seventeen both of them have grown enough to develop the mature bodies of adults. Fighting hand-to-hand combat with Ino made it impossible not to realize this. In fact, he was so aware of it he gets bothered just having her near him. He groaned again. _He was attracted to Ino..big time._

If he continues to be this distracted by her, she just might win their impending fight after all. _Mendokuse._

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**Yipeee! First chapter finally done. Gosh! It's already 5:36 in the morning. Reviews are graciously invited, flames and accolades welcome. D I'll update as soon as I figure out what happens next.**

**The story felt like it had a life of its own. It just developed into this plot by itself, which I think is creepy. Haha! I'm playing different versions of Pachebel's Canon while making this fic. It definitely helped with my writing. Hah! Birds are twittering outside my window and the sky is lightening to a deep shade of purple. It's definitely time for me to catch some zZzzZzz...**


	2. Something Brewing

**FYI:** No changes were done to the text. Merely split up some of the longer paragraphs. Hehe..

**AN:** Thank you to all the wonderful reviews! Second chapter is much longer so you'll have something to tide you over 'til chapter three.

Also, I had to lay the groundwork for the development of the story, hence all the seemingly useless details in this chapter. Things will become clearer with the succeeding chapters. Do enjoy!

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It had been a week since they made that bargain. She still couldn't get over her anger over Shikamaru's words_. "...I'm lazy so I don't normally put my all when fighting with you. Heh. You might even finally beat me in a sparring match..." _Just remembering those words got her blood boiling.

Ino took a deep breath. She was on her way to the Hyuga compound where she was going to meet Neji for their training. It had been four days since they started and even though she was confident when she told Shikamaru about training with the prodigy, when she actually came for their first session she felt a bit uncertain onz how they'll be conducting their meetings.

For all his aloofness, Neji was very courteous in welcoming her to the Hyuga compound and briskly proceeded to enumerate what they'll be doing for their first few meetings.

They'd start with some basic exercises that they did separately and then spar for an hour and a half. Neji had willingly submitted to her _Shintenshin no Jutsu _to see how it affected him.

It was an experience for Ino to be in Neji's body and use the bloodline technique of his clan. Being able to see through walls and other solid surfaces felt surreal. She got a slight headache when she returned to her body, though.

After their training ended, Neji mentioned that while Ino was in his mind he was still able to retain some of his consciousness and wanted to find out if with enough training he would be able to counter her technique and prevent her from taking over his mind.

She was curious herself and wanted to see if it could be done. It had never happened before that a target was able to resist the Yamanaka technique and it just goes to show how strong the Hyuga's chakra was that he was even able to maintain a modicum of awareness while she was in his mind.

When they did this she'd usually settle down in a soft patch of grass before performing the technique to prevent her body from collapsing on the ground. There was no Shikamaru to catch her during these exercises.

In the four days that they have been training, Neji had still not successfully blocked her technique.

_Ha! Even the great Hyuga Neji can't beat the Yamanaka jutsu._ Ino thought smugly. Neji hadn't let up in other parts of their training either. When he decided that they'd be training an extra hour every other day, Ino took one look at his implacable expression and the protest died in her throat. After much perusal she decided that Neji's decision will actually help her get stronger faster and she'd definitely be more than a match for Shikamaru when the three weeks were up.

Speaking of Shikamaru, she spied his lanky figure walking aimlessly ahead of her.

Ino drew level with him, "Ohayou Shika-kun."

Shikamaru cast her a disinterested look, "Ohayou."

"I'm on my way to the Hyuga compound for my training. Neji has been letting me use my technique on him. It feels weird using the Byakugan; seeing through walls and stuff. He insisted we step up our training by taking an extra hour every other session," she paused, sneaking a glance at his face to see if he reacted to her revelation. "He's helping me train my new jutsu too," she stated this with emphasis.

Shikamaru gave her a slow once over. _Wearing that? Trust Ino to train dressed like she's going out to a bar._ Ino had her hair pulled in a high ponytail and was wearing a cropped fitted deep blue halter with the thick straps crossed over her back and exposing her middle. A matching skimpy skirt was wrapped around her waist. For bottoms, she had on coal grey tights with her kunai pouch strapped on her left thigh and soft black kid boots reaching mid calf. Grey fishnet covering her elbows and wrapped around her knees finished the look.

He turned away,"Good for you."

"Really. Is that all you can say?" Ino bit out. "Aren't you the least bit worried about our match?" she barely resisted taking hold of his shoulders and shaking him in frustration.

"Uhn," Shikamaru shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and stared at Ino under half-lidded eyes, "You know, you're making too much out of this."

She blew out her cheeks, "If you want to be caught unprepared for our match, that's your downfall. Here I am, warning you to watch out and you act like our fight will be a stroll in the park," her brows beetled together, "Honestly, Shikamaru, if we hadn't grown up together and not been teammates I could bean you right now for your careless attitude. You really don't think highly of my abilities do you?"

Shikamaru was having a hard time controlling his breathing but even in the midst of the roaring internal fight he was currently having with himself, he still heard the hurt note in Ino's voice, "You have a poor memory, Ino. Didn't I tell our classmates before how your technique was among the most ingenious in our class? A very valuable and difficult technique that you've already mastered by the time we were genin?"

He gave her a strained half smile, "I do think highly of you Ino. And I heard you. Don't think I'm not taking this seriously, I've been very regular with my training as well."

Ino's face was full of suspicion, "Huh. If you say so then," her expression broke into a brilliant smile. "You better be ready to eat dirt, Shika-kun! I'm not kidding about beating you to a pulp. You can be such an arrogant ass sometimes, pulling you down a peg or two will help me feel enormously gratified." she laughed, ignorant of the leashed tension coming off in waves from him.

"Like you're not used to strutting and bossing people around," he muttered.

"But I do it so well! Annnndd...I look good when I strut," she twirled to make her point. "You have no appreciation for beauty, Shikamaru. You're the only jounin in our class and with Sasuke still gone," her mouth drooped at the thought, " your brownie points are level with Neji's and yet it's still only Neji who has all the fan girls fawning over him."

"Maybe it's time you took a little more care with your appearance? Fix that slouch for example?" Ino poked him on the shoulder, "Neh. You just might get atleast one girl interested in you." she smiled at the thought. She looked at Shikamaru critically. If he did fix himself up, it just might happen. Neji though...

A slight frown stole over her face, "Even inside the Hyuga compound, there are still girls trailing Neji. Mostly from the Hyuga clan but they can be so annoyingly bothersome." she sighed. "Neji is very handsome. Kind of exotic with those silver eyes."

That irritated feeling was back again, "Another crush, Ino?" Shikamaru abruptly asked. "It's a bit childish, isn't it?"

"Hmm?" Ino's eyes were clouding over with a dreamy haze, "Oh! No, of course not. Neji is a very good sparring partner. Still, you can't blame a girl for admiring the guy." she was back to dreamily gazing off into the distance. "He has that mysterious aura about him. So distant. So aloof. With that gorgeous head of hair. Do you know, among the Hyuga, Neji is considered to be a great catch? Especially, when that branch family issue was resolved by Hinata's father."

The irritation was fast turning into anger. He had better leave before he let loose with the cutting remarks tripping on his tongue, "Whatever. I have to go meet the Hokage. Ja ne." His back ramrod straight, Shikamaru turned and walked away from a dumbfounded Ino.

"What got into him?" wondered Ino. "Huh. I better not keep Neji waiting," with a spring in her step Ino hurried on to the Hyuga compound.

oOOo

Ino slowly opened her eyes and immediately slammed them shut when she glimpsed the piercing light. "Itaaaii.." she moaned. She gingerly lifted her arm and covered her face.

"Ino," a shadow fell over her, "Are you alright?"

"Does it look like I'm fine?" she snapped.

"Owwww.." Ino winced. The throbbing in her head was getting worse.

Neji's eyes widened slightly. He'd never heard that tone from Ino before, "Can you sit up?"

Ino tried to lift her head and fell back on the soft ground. "Give me a minute."

With Neji over her covering the sun, she can finally open her eyes without the shooting pain bursting in her head. "You nearly threw me off this time. I could sense your chakra pushing me out of your mind. It took some effort but I still retained control, but darn it, my head feels like a hundred Sakuras are pounding away inside. Itaai." She glared at Neji, squinting in an effort to lessen the light entering her eyes.

Neji sat back on his haunches. "Gomen," he said dispassionately.

"Arigatou Neji," she said sarcastically. "I'm overwhelmed by the remorse I can hear in your voice." The weakness expected with the execution of her technique coupled with the blinding headache made her snappish, very unlike the demure facade she presents to the Hyuga prodigy during their training.

Neji looked at Ino's scrunched up face and a slight smile played around his lips, "Gomenasai, Ino." he repeated with more warmth. "Let's get you inside."

"Hold on, I can't stand yet- _Hey!_" Ino floundered for a bit, surprised to find herself smoothly lifted from the ground and leaning against Neji's chest. "Put me down, Neji! I can walk by myself!" she sputtered, a blush staining her pale cheeks.

"A moment ago you said you couldn't stand," he rebuked. "This is easier and a faster solution than sitting here waiting for you to recover." Neji strode through the awning by the training ground and entered a cool empty room, setting Ino on her feet.

"Sit down, Ino. I'll serve us some tea."

Still reeling from the close contact with Neji, Ino plunked down unceremoniously on a flat pillow beside a low table. Ino looked around, surprised at the decor of the room. The room was bare of any ostentatious decorations, something she expected present considering the wealth of the Hyuga clan.

Instead, small square trays filled with clear water and pebbles were displayed in the corners of the room with three or four blooms of orchids wrapped around the shoots of grass placed in the middle of the shallow pools giving a soothing and relaxed air to the stark room.

A large dark wood japanese table was prominently placed on one end of the room, easily sitting six with a tatami mat underneath and a scattering of flat pillows clothed in dark silk as chairs. Two large chests were backed against the opposite wall, where Neji was currently standing with his back to her. She could hear the tinkling sound of water hitting stone.

"This is one of many receiving rooms for guests. The compound underwent a renovation lately so hot and cold spring water is available in every room," Neji turned around, his hands holding a wooden tray containing a small stone pot and two ivory cups.

He walked over to Ino and placed the tray on the table. He sat opposite her and deftly flicking the edge of his sleeve away from his arm, took hold of the pot and expertly poured the hot tea into the cups. The pot settled back on the table with a click and Ino found her hands reaching for the steaming brew Neji offered to her.

"Arigatou," she bobbed a quick bow and sipped the hot tea. "Ahh! It's very bitter." she exclaimed, her mouth shaping into a moue.

"It is very good tea with restorative properties. It will help ease your headache." Neji answered, calmly sipping his own tea.

"Gomen. I did not mean to give offense. Arigatou, Neji," inside she cringed at her stiff tone. Neji was being very nice and no doubt if she got this headache from their experiment with her technique then for sure Neji is suffering under the same strain. Yet, he sits opposite her, still unflappable and maintaining that cool mien. _Neji definitely deserves to be called a genius. Definitely cold too. I wonder..._

Ino thoughtfully looked at Neji, "Neh. Can I ask you something?"

Two silver eyes looked at her steadily, "You already voiced a question. But, go ahead. What is it that you want to know?"

"What kind of shampoo do you use?" she asked casually, taking a sip from her tea.

Neji paused, the hand holding his cup suspended in mid-air. "My shampoo?" he asked quietly. His stare was slowly turning chilling.

"Yes! I'd like to know if you use a jojoba herbal type since your hair is really smooth and shiny. You know, it's a real gift having great hair. I have to buy so many different products and spend countless hours getting my hair to be this smooth," Ino continued, her eyes sparkling when she saw Neji's expression tighten. This almost felt like teasing Shikamaru. She was determined to get a reaction from the icy genius even if it was an outburst of anger.

"Do you condition it everyday or every other day? You have great skin too but it's too bad the Byakugan must be adding crows feet prematurely to your face. Do you put moisturizing crea-"

"It's herbal. With a mix of coconut oil." Neji interrupted. Ino felt her jaw dropping at his calm answer. _Neji? Sharing about beauty products? Huh?_

Neji smiled at her expression, "The servants here make it for the members of the clan. It's more economical since all the ingredients are leftovers from the plants harvested from the farm for various use around the compound. This tea for example is a mixture of jasmine and wild rose petals infused with chamomile and oolong leaves. Plants scattered in abundance around the property. As for my skin, I use soap I buy from a market in Konoha center."

The smile widened when Ino still looked liked a fly trap with her mouth hanging open, "A bug will fly right in if you don't close your mouth."

Her mouth snapped close, "Heh. You shocked me by your answer Neji. You actually sound human." Ino slapped a hand over her mouth.

Horrified at her f_aux pax_ she quickly added, "N-not that you aren't because you _are_ human. I-I mean...you're _great_! A known _genius_! Lots and _lots_ of fan girls to prove you're a living breathing example of perfect masculinity..I mean humanity! ...enough to actually attract other human..." her voice faded to nothing when she heard the unexpected sound of quiet laughter.

"Enough, Ino. My head will swell with your compliments," Neji gazed at her, his eyes crinkling with his smile. "I'm aware of my reputation as someone cold and unfeeling. It is only because of my natural reserve which I've cultivated since I was young. Then, I had much anger inside me against the situation my family was in. It's hard changing my stripes even after the main and branch families have mended their differences."

Ino relaxed, "I thought for sure you'd blast me with a jutsu or something." She leaned forward, "Neh. This is the first time I've heard you laugh, Neji. You should really do it more often and smiling too. It makes you look less forbidding."

Ino leaned back and flipped her hair, "I wasn't kidding about your hair though. It really is nice looking and while you were carrying me I couldn't help but feel it brushing against my hand. It has a very silky texture and I don't think it's just because of your shampoo." she sighed. "You're very lucky, Neji."

Neji chuckled, "Arigatou, Ino. Finish your tea. Is your headache easing?" Ino nodded, the hot tea cradled close to her chest. "Just in case, I'll walk you home. I don't want you to have an excuse for not attending our next training. Let's give it a couple of days before we try your technique again and we'll train with your new jutsu in the meantime."

While they both finished their tea, Ino spent the time satisfying her curiosity about Neji and peppered him with question after question which Neji promptly answered after a pause or two over some of the more outrageous queries.

The sun was setting by the time Ino and Neji started walking to her apartment. As the Hyuga compound was on the south side of the down town of Konoha and her apartment complex was on the north side, they passed by a lot of shops along the way and were nearing the end of a busy street when they heard a voice call out to Ino.

"Hi there, Ino!" Sakura waved and hurried towards the two with Naruto trailing excitedly behind her.

"Konichiwa, Ino. Konichiwa, Neji." Sakura greeted, stopping in front of the pair. Ino and Neji greeted her in return.

"Oy! Neji! How come you're out with Ino? Alone. Are you guys on a date?" Naruto loudly asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Baka!" Sakura hit him on the back of his head. "Nevermind him. Tsunade-sama told me that you guys are training together while Chouji is away in Suna. How are you guys progressing?" Sakura asked, ignoring the mumbled 'owws' from Naruto.

"Pretty well. I learned that Neji uses herbal shampoo laced with coconut oil," Ino said sneakily.

"Nani?" yelled Naruto. Even Sakura was struck dumb by her small bombshell.

Neji just stared at them silently.

Ino burst into laughter with Sakura following suit, chuckling uncertainly. "Neh. That was a good joke, Ino."

"Hey Neji, is Hinata back from her mission? Only, she told me before she left that she needed to ask me something really important and I've been going crazy wondering what it could be." Naruto looked off into space, his brow furrowed. "Ano..maybe she needs help with her training...but she could have asked me anytime for that...maybe she wants advise on what's the best ramen to order at Ichiraku's..."

Sakura and Ino looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Naruto was so dense.

"Iie. She's not yet back. I'll tell her you asked for her when she returns," Neji replied, noticing but indifferent to the two girls reactions over Naruto's short monologue.

"Sakura-chan, didn't old lady Tsunade say something about someone from Suna coming over? Think it has something to do with Chouji?" asked Naruto, turning to the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Baka. Sabaku no Temari is the ambassador from Suna. She's here for official purposes. Chouji and his family are just visiting a cousin, nothing official about that," Naruto narrowly avoided Sakura's fist heading for his head.

"She's Gaara's eldest sister and she's supposed to arrive tomorrow for an important conference with the Hokage." Sakura explained, turning back to Ino and Neji. "She's staying here for a few days in time for the Konoha Festival next week. Hey Ino, want to meet up and get ready together for the festival? Everybody is really working hard for this year's fest, it should be a blast!"

"Sure! I'll bring my stuff over the day before. Is it alright if I spend the night?" at Sakura's nod, she continued, "I gotta get going, though. I promised daddy I'd drop by the house for dinner and I still have to go home to shower and change."

After exchanging goodbyes, Neji and Ino continued walking towards her apartment. However, Ino was still thinking about what Sakura said concerning the ambassador from Suna._ Temari...wasn't there something going on between her and Shikamaru? There was definitely some tense moments there. This could be a good opportunity to play a little matchmaking. It might then push Shika out of the moody rut he's in right now._

"Is that your place?"

Ino shook free of her thoughts and looked to where Neji was pointing. They were nearing her apartment, a two-storey house. She was renting half of the ground floor unit while the other half was where the owner of the house stayed and the bigger unit upstairs was occupied by three kunoichi friends.

"Hai," she stopped at her doorstep and looked up to Neji. "Arigatou, Neji for bringing me home and don't worry I'll show up for training tomorrow," she gave him a small smile.

Neither of the pair realized how close they were standing together and how intimate they looked silhouetted against the dying sun. A dark-haired, lanky shinobi leaning against a tree spying on them was suspiciously drawing his own conclusions about the matter.

_Why is Hyuga Neji with Ino in her apartment?_ Shikamaru was on his way home to his own apartment a street away from Ino's place when he saw the couple walking ahead of him.

Instead of turning to his street he continued following the two, taking care to keep to the shadows so as not to be seen. He waited until the Hyuga prodigy left and Ino entered her unit before turning back and walking to his place.

It wasn't any of his business why Neji would bring Ino home. But try as he might he couldn't get the image of the couple standing so close together out of his mind. _This attraction is becoming bothersome. I have to stop this before it gets out of hand._

Ever since he realized his growing attraction for Ino, it had been very hard not to think of her as a woman and a highly desirable one to boot. He could no longer see her as a bossy, nosy but still very good friend who just happened to be built differently from him and Chouji in a crucial biological way.

Ino was already blessed with great genes from both of her striking parents but she never forgets to amplify that gift by taking constant care of her appearance and figure. Sparring with the other jounin provided a short respite from his heated thoughts but he didn't have any defense for all those other times outside of training.

Strangely enough, it was Ino who gave Shikamaru the idea that maybe redirecting his attentions to another female will help rid him of his inconvenient infatuation with his close friend. But then it would just mean ending one troublesome situation and starting another.

_Mendokuse_. he sighed. _Better choose the lesser evil._

_It's a stupid answer but when in desperation any solution seems good. Only question now is to whom do I set my eyes on?_ he thought broodingly.

Slowly, the tall shinobi walked home, absently rubbing the side of his neck.

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**I was in a rush to finish this because I didn't want to keep you guys hanging with such a short cliffe first chapter. When I saw my stats (91!) and my reviews, I was so happy, I was incandescent. Hehe..**

**Chapter three will have to wait until next week guys.**

**I decided to make weekly updates so it will give me more time to develop the story and check my grammar and sleeeeep! Heehee! I'll burn myself out if I keep catnapping instead of putting in solid 8hours sleep every night. Gomen ne. ; )**

**So...I mentioned Temari is arriving soon and before I hear any bashing from ShikaxIno fans, let me repeat that this is a ShikaxIno fic. But Temari's presence will be a good spice added to the mix. It'll make everything that much more...interesting (evil cackle). Then of course, there's Neji...hmmm.**

**Reviews are very welcome, flames and otherwise..hit me with it. Ja ne!**


	3. Suna Delegation

_**AN:**__ Waah! I need reviews! Help! Help! Just realized am review whore. (sniff)_

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The day dawned bright and clear. It hadn't yet been six in the morning and mist was still clinging to the air when Sabaku no Temari, ambassador of Suna walked up to the gates of Konoha handing a scroll to a startled shinobi.

While the guard on duty inspected the contents of the scroll; a letter detailing the reasons for her visit, Temari waited impatiently distracting herself by thinking of the last time she was in Konoha. It had been eight months since she last visited, also as ambassador. Then, the news she carried didn't pervade her with a sense of foreboding as it did now. After all these years of fruitless searching and near misses both of the hidden villages will have another chance at exacting justice and finally getting some peace of mind.

She wondered how the Hokage will react to her report. She knew _she _wouldn't hesitate over deciding what would be done for this mission. After what has been done to her brother, vengeance will be sweet. But at the thought of Gaara she was reminded of a certain loud-mouthed, yellow-haired shinobi who had once vowed to protect everybody close to him especially those he sees as friends. It had been Naruto who was responsible for the drastic change in Gaara and she'll forever be grateful to the shinobi.

Temari suddenly wasn't so sure if she'd be given a chance to do what needed to be done if Naruto is recruited, which, considering the nature of the mission, was a definite certainty. After being waved in by the guard Temari headed straight for the huge palace resigned to the pandemonium she'll bring with her news.

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Shikamaru was on his way to the office of the Hokage when he bumped into Temari also going in the same direction.

"Shikamaru!" Temari exclaimed, her eyes brightening at the sight of the tall shinobi. "How are you?"

"Temari," he inclined his head in greeting. "Doing fine. Training mostly. Are you meeting Tsunade-sama?"

"Hai," Temari's expression closed, her tone suddenly grave. "We need to discuss something urgent that involves both of the villages."

"Hn. Guess I'll have to wait 'til you're done with your meeting." Shikamaru said, knocking on the door to the Hokage's office.

"See you later, Temari." he said, pushing open the door for her upon hearing an affirmative from inside.

He was just about to turn around and wait in the hallway when he heard the Godaime call him back.

"Come in Shikamaru. Ohayou, Temari. I'll need the both of you for this meeting." announced Tsunade while she set aside the scrolls she was perusing before their entry. Shikamaru closed the door and leaned against the wall beside it.

"What's the status report, Temari?"

"Uchiha Itachi has been sighted in a small village near Suna."

Shikamaru straightened from his slouch and gazed sharply at Temari.

"For two weeks we had spies cover his activities. However, it seems Itachi suspected that he was being monitored and killed two of our shinobi who were tracking him and fled the village. We've alerted the nearby territories to be on guard and we received news three days ago that he resurfaced in a large merchant town a couple of days travel away from Suna," she paused.

"What of Uchiha Sasuke?" Tsunade demanded.

Reluctantly, Temari continued, "Along with the report we got on Itachi, we also got news that Uchiha Sasuke is suspected of tracking his brother. There were sightings of the younger Uchiha in the places Itachi has been, including the village near Suna. It's probable that Sasuke will show up in the merchant town in a month or so."

Tsunade steepled her fingers together and looked levelly at Temari and then at Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, I'm assigning you to the recon mission of Uchiha Sasuke. Suna is readying another team for the retrieval of Itachi. Both Suna and Konoha have vested interests in the capture of these two."

"We are retrieving the Uchiha brothers and Itachi is to stand trial for his crimes when we capture him. It's best to bring both of them alive but...take whatever means necessary to ensure the survival of the team and the success of the mission. We _cannot _let Itachi slip from our grasp once again. As for Sasuke...you must bring him back alive. I want you to recruit these two jounin members and Sakura and Naruto," Tsunade pulled open a drawer in her desk and handed two folders to Shikamaru. "I'll be informing Team 7 of this mission."

"The Kazekage and I have been corresponding about this situation and it has been decided that a five-man team from Konoha will be sent to Suna where another recon team will be meeting you. Temari will be training with your team and you'll need to brief her on your plans as she'll be the one informing the Suna branch the strategies that will be employed in this mission. As Sasuke's teammates, Sakura and Naruto would know him best. You'll need Sakura for any medical emergency as well," the Hokage smiled wryly. "As for Naruto, I don't think I'll be able to prevent the baka from going after I tell him about this mission."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and looked at them appraisingly, "In the meantime, I've requested a room be made ready for you here in the palace, Temari. I need you both to plan and work out your strategies for this mission. You'll be leaving for Suna in ten days. Shikamaru, take this time to start training with your recruits and work as a team. Other than the members of the team I don't want anybody else to know of this mission. For now, we have the advantage over the Uchiha brothers and I don't want any information to leak and incite Itachi or Sasuke to go into hiding again."

"Hokage-sama, if it's alright with you I'd like to get accommodations somewhere near the town area. It will be strange if I suddenly stay here when every time I've visited I always get a room in the town," said Temari.

The Godaime mulled this over, "Fine. Shikamaru, take Temari to the town center and find out where she'll staying. I want you to get started on your planning right away." Tsunade placed both palms flat on her desk. "That's all. You're free to go."

Shikamaru and Temari bowed and left.

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"Damn. This is getting tiring," Temari complained. "Every hostel we've visited is full. I guess I'll have to take that room at the palace after all."

She and Shikamaru were standing at the entrance of the last inn on Temari's list of choices. Because of the upcoming fest, the village has been receiving an increase in tourists and delegates from the other hidden villages. As a result, most of the inns were already occupied. The path back to the palace took them through many of the shops in the market. Along the way, they agreed to meet again later while Shikamaru track down the two jounin in his team.

They were about to turn to the street to the palace when Shikamaru spotted Ino standing by the open doorway of her family's flower shop. Before he could decide what to do Ino saw him and waved them over.

Shikamaru drew Temari's attention to the waving girl. "It's Ino. I'll just say hi."

Ino just came from her training with Neji and was helping her mother man the flower shop when she spied Shikamaru and a blonde girl with a large fan strapped on her back walking outside. Curious to see who the girl was she wandered outside and waited for the couple to get nearer.

"Ohayou, Shika-kun!" Ino yelled out, waving her arm. As the pair neared Ino slowly recognized the girl. She was a Sand shinobi and the sister of the Kazekage. The very same shinobi she had been thinking of pairing with Shikamaru only a few days ago.

Ino grinned, "Hello Temari. Did you just come from the palace?" at her nod, Ino continued, "Hope the meeting went well with the Hokage."

"Uh..hai," said Temari, after shooting a glance at Shikamaru. Observing them keenly, Ino didn't miss the shared look.

"Say Ino, would you know of any rooms available for rent?" Shikamaru quickly asked, forestalling Ino from probing. "Temari will be in Konoha for a while and needs a place to stay."

Distracted from what she was about to say, Ino asked, "Nani? Temari, are you staying for the Konoha Festival?" The Konoha Festival was a three-day celebration with a big parade on the morning of the first day and parties for every night of the three days and a huge fireworks display on the last day after the party. The entire market area of Konoha has been turned into a fair with a lot of the shop owners putting up outdoor stalls and many traders from other lands invited to sell their novel wares acting as competition. It was a big annual affair and this year was turning out to be the best one yet.

The pair hadn't thought about an excuse for Temari's extended visit but Ino just provided a good cover. "Hai. But, I've been having a hard time finding a place even with Shikamaru helping me look."

"Ah. Everywhere would be full because of the fest," said Ino knowledgeably. Temari's face fell at the news.

"Ano, I have a spare room in my apartment," Ino slowly said, thinking furiously. The two seems to be close already, seeing as Shikamaru was already accompanying Temari after just arriving. But if she really wanted her plan to succeed then playing matchmaker will be easier with Temari staying under her roof. "You can come stay with me!" she finished brightly.

Temari was about to protest when Ino said, "No excuses. I'd love the company and if you're worried about the cost, then you can pay me by buying the food."

Seeing the determined glint in Ino's eye Temari hastily agreed. After all, staying with Ino was much better than trying to explain why she was staying at the palace.

After reminding Temari of their meeting later, Shikamaru took his leave.

Ino said goodbye to her mom and fell in step with Temari as they walked to her apartment.

"So, you and Shikamaru met at the palace?" Ino asked casually, looking for any change in Temari at the mention of Shikamaru. When Temari nodded, Ino went on, "He doesn't normally go around with females if he can help it. He's legendary for his view that women are troublesome. Took me by surprise when I saw you guys earlier."

"Hnm."

Frustrated at the bland responses she was getting, Ino boldly asked, "Do you like Shikamaru?" _There. It's a yes or no question. She'll have to answer._ Ino thought smugly.

Looking at her strangely, Temari answered, "He's alright, I guess. Never really thought about it."

Still not satisfied, Ino pressed, "But whenever you visit Konoha as ambassador it's usually Shikamaru who takes you around."

"That's because he was assigned by the Godaime to act as my guide." replied Temari, unperturbed.

"But surely you don't need a guide now," Ino said. "and after just arriving already you guys are together. Shikamaru is a great guy, you know. He could be really lazy but you can always count on him to pull his weight in a mission. He was the only one who made chunnin after that debacle at the chunnin exam with Orochimaru and he was quickly promoted and is the only jounin in our class up to now."

"He's very smart and though he doesn't show it he cares a lot for his friends and the people in Konoha. He'd do whatever was necessary to protect Konoha even if it means sacrificing himself." Ino continued, her pace slowing. "Sometimes, he'd frustrate me so with his carefree attitude and his constant complaints about women." Ino smiled fondly, her gaze distant completely voiding her last comment.

"Having our parents as friends we'd always be in and out of each others' homes growing up. I remember spraining my wrist while we were playing at my house and he was so panicked at seeing me cry he started talking and talking about silly things to distract me from the pain. I was so surprised at hearing complete paragraphs from someone used to talking in monosyllables that before I knew it he'd brought me to the living room where our parents were having tea." she laughed at the memory.

Ino didn't realize but her face had softened while she was talking about the dark-haired shinobi. Temari, meanwhile, was coming to the realization that staying with Ino while having meetings with Shikamaru will be more trouble than if she'd stayed at the palace. She inwardly sighed. Hopefully, she was mistaken about her conclusions on the direction of Ino's feelings.

"Like I said, he's an okay guy," Temari said, smiling at Ino. "But I see him more as a friend, really."

This seemed the wrong thing to say as Ino was spurned to further defense of Shikamaru and Temari was engaged to listen more on his heroic exploits in missions and stumbling, glowing remarks about his personality where even Ino was turning pink at the bald-faced exaggeration. They finally reached her apartment and after showing Temari where her room would be and lending her the spare key, Ino turned to Temari with an invitation to go out with her and Sakura.

"I'm meeting Sakura in a while to help her choose an outfit for the fest. You're welcome to come shopping with us. The market and shops are all preparing hard for the celebration and there's plenty of really nice things for sale." Ino said invitingly.

"I'd love to go with you but I already told Shikamaru I'd be meeting him later," replied Temari reluctantly. "Rain check, okay?"

"Oh. Right. I forgot about that." Ino said, disappointed. She was a little surprised at the slight hurting in her chest when she heard Temari's plans for the afternoon. _Wasn't it what she wanted? For Temari and Shikamaru to hang out more? But she said she sees him as a friend only. So, why are they meeting again? Was she lying earlier?_

Confused when the hurt feeling deepened, she quickly dismissed her thoughts and said airily, "Well, I'll see you later tonight then. Dinner will be fish and chips and some ramen I'll take out from Ichiraku's. It's the first time I'm having a guest over so I want something more special than my usual salad and yogurt. Don't forget to lock behind you. Ja ne."

Later, when Ino met with Sakura she wasn't able to get a proper answer from the pink-haired kunoichi when she asked about Temari and Shikamaru. Sakura didn't tell Ino that she just came from a meeting with the Hokage and was distracted throughout the afternoon, her thoughts elsewhere. It hadn't been an hour yet when Sakura picked the outfit she wanted from the third shop they visited, paid and abruptly announced that she had to leave.

Stung at Sakura's cold behavior, Ino said coolly, "Fine. I'll finish shopping by myself then."

Turning contrite at her rude manners, Sakura apologized, "I'm really sorry Ino. I just came back from the palace and I don't know yet if I should be happy or sad or angry at the news I got." she laughed shakily. "I can't speak anymore than that," she went on, her eyes asking for understanding. "I've said more than I should. I really need time alone right now. You're still staying at my place for the festival, right?"

"Yes, yes, alright." Ino grumbled. "But I expect you to be better company than you are today."

Giving the blonde a tight hug, Sakura promised to do so and after repeating her apology she left. Ino spent the rest of the day checking out the novelty shops and wandering from stall to stall, deep in thought. She was uncertain where to proceed after her last conversation with Temari. Maybe she wasn't needed in that area after all. As for the festival, Team 10 would usually go together to see the parade with Ino pulling along a reluctant Shikamaru and would later meet the rest of their friends at the party. But with Chouji gone and Temari staying for the celebration, she wasn't sure if Shikamaru will still go together with her. Deciding to drop by his place to ask about his plans for the fest, Ino went around town completing her errands with a vague feeling of unease.

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"Shika-kun? Where are you?" questioned Ino, peering hesitantly through the open door. After knocking continuously and getting no answer, she tried the knob and found it turning easily in her palm. She'd only visited Shikamaru's house a few times and always with Chouji and it was usually because the lanky shinobi would rather stay in than go out with them and their friends. While Chouji would head straight to the kitchen and raid his ref, she'd pound the stairs and would shake him awake yelling all the while for making them late for another outing with their friends.

This time though, Chouji wasn't here and she didn't have a good enough reason for showing up unannounced. Her question wasn't that pressing and finding herself alone in his starkly masculine and spartan apartment suddenly made her uncomfortable. She stood there in the small hallway clutching her shopping bags, the smell of delicious ramen wafting in the air. She was already thinking of leaving when she heard a door open and footsteps coming from above. She looked up the stairs and saw Shikamaru lazily descending the steps, head bent as he toweled his hair.

Ino swallowed. He must have just finished his shower and didn't hear her knocking. Her breath caught in her chest. Beads of water were still clinging to his very naked chest. She couldn't stop staring, her knuckles turning white as her grip on the bags tightened and a pink flush slowly climbed her cheeks. He was barefoot, wearing only navy blue boxers. She was rooted to the floor feeling like she was under the spell of Shikamaru's shadow jutsu.

"Shika..." she croaked. Coughing, she repeated, "Shikamaru."

Looking up, the towel sliding and resting around his neck, Shikamaru stopped and stared, "Ino? What are you doing here?"

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**Cliffe! I had a really hard time developing this chapter. I kept thinking about the big scenes in chapter 4 (hint hint). Things are progressing faster than I thought. Temari's still in the picture, though it's apparent when you listen to Temari's POV that she feels nothing but platonic affection for Shika-kun. Still, things can change, right? **

**Ino is also slowly realizing buried feelings for Shikamaru, but would she act on it? What about Shikamaru, what's he gonna do? and where's Neji?! **

**I'd love to hear feedback from you guys. Let me know what you think. **

**Ja ne!**


	4. Mixed Feelings

**AN: **Hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I had fun writing it. Had a little trouble writing the end but hopefully, the middle is enough compensation...or not. You've been warned! Heehee...

**AN2: **Noticed some discrepancy with some events. Made minor correction regarding Ino's plans for the festival.

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"Ino? What are you doing here?"

Ino and Shikamaru stared at each other. Ino was standing in his hallway unmoving while Shikamaru stood on the last step of the stairs his hair around his shoulders, a towel hanging from his neck.

"Um..I came to ask you something, " she finally stammered, her voice high. "S-shouldn't you finish dressing?"

Looking down at himself, as if only now noticing his half-naked state, he turned bright red, "Do you mind waiting in the living room? I'll come down in a minute." Already turning back upstairs, he gestured at the general direction of the living area.

Ino walked in to the living room, the blush staining her cheeks slowly receding. But her heart was still pounding and her breath was puffing an uneven rhythm. She tried to recall a time when she'd seen Shikamaru barely dressed. It's true that with numerous missions together and camping out on several of those missions there were times they'd get refreshed at a small stream or river but for the life of her, she couldn't recall ever seeing him dressed in only his underwear. He was her teammate and a long time friend. She shouldn't have stared at him like that.

She carefully placed her bags on the coffee table, turned the power on one of the lamps and gingerly sat down on the sofa, expelling a sigh under her breath. She placed her hands on her still warm cheeks. Coming here was a bad idea. She had been impetuous and had only embarrassed herself and Shikamaru by suddenly showing up when she could have waited until the next day and spoken with him in a more public area.

Her mind flashed back to the scene awhile ago. He looked so appealing with his hair down. Asking him about his plans for the festival seems so trivial now. But since she was already here, she'll just have to pretend what happened earlier was no big deal and act normally. She heard him walking down the stairs and steeled herself for the oncoming questions. She hastily put down her hands.

"Hey. Sorry I kept you waiting." Shikamaru said gruffly, halting at the entrance of the living room. He had on a grey shirt and dark pants, his wet hair still around his shoulders.

Ino jumped up from the sofa and whirled around to face him, shaking her hands in front of her, "Iie! I should be apologizing for dropping by unannounced. Gomen! Gomen!" She dropped her hands and looked at the floor. So much for being unfazed. "Gomen ne," she said more quietly. Neither spoke for a while, both of them reluctant to break the tense silence.

She could feel his gaze burning into her. She wished he'd stop staring.

"Ano..."she said nervously, looking up and gazing at him, "the festival is coming up in a few days. The three of us always go together but...with Chouji in Suna...I...wasn't sure if you'd made other plans."

Shikamaru continued to stare at her, his eyes darkening and his face tightening with an unnamed emotion. With the dim light behind her, the glow illuminated Ino's slim silhouette and cast a golden halo to her blonde hair, her expression soft and vulnerable.

"Festival huh?" said Shikamaru quietly. He slowly walked in until he was standing in front of Ino. With his hair down and for once not looking messy, he looked different. Gentler, somehow. The sharp angles of his face softened by the clinging strands. She resisted the urge to lift her hand and run her fingers through his damp hair. Her heartbeat picked up again. With the weak light from the lamp, Shikamaru's face was in shadow and wore an intent look. She looked searchingly into his fathomless eyes.

Gazing at her steadily, he said, "No, I haven't made any plans."

Ino stayed silent, her gazed locked with Shikamaru. She distantly thought that they were standing too close. She could feel his breath on her face, her skin tingling at the sensation. She felt him take hold of her hand, weaving his fingers through hers. She briefly looked down at their clasped hands. When she raised her eyes her gaze fell to his lips and hers parted unconsciously. She looked into his eyes her vision blurry and realized he was leaning down, his face inches from her own. She could feel herself leaning forward, her eyes closing.

The jarring sound of someone knocking on the door broke the spell. Ino jerked back, tugging her hand free.

They stood breathing heavily. Eyes wide, Ino was looking horrified at what nearly transpired between them. Shikamaru reached out a hand and let it fall back limply when she flinched and took a step back. His face closed.

"You'd better get that." she finally said, avoiding his dark eyes. "I'd better be going too." She quickly took her bags from the table and made her way to the door. She paused by the doorway keeping her back turned, "I don't think we should go together to the festival, after all." she waited rigidly for his reply.

After a beat, he answered flatly, "Yeah. I guess not." He made his way to where Ino was standing stiffly. "Wouldn't be the same without Chouji, eh?" he laughed mockingly, his expression shuttered.

Before Ino could reply he walked to the door and pulled it open. Temari stood waiting outside.

Shock and surprise mingled with a growing anger. If Temari had arrived a few minutes earlier it would have been Temari who would have come upon Shikamaru fresh from his shower. After what happened a while ago she had forgotten all about Temari and her ambiguous relationship with Shikamaru. Finding her on his doorstep felt like a bucket full of cold water had been poured on her. What was Shikamaru thinking, pulling that stunt in the living room when he probably knew Temari was arriving any moment?

She turned accusing eyes to Shikamaru, "No it wouldn't. But even with Chouji here, I don't think I'd be going to the festival with you anyway." She lifted her chin, the sense of betrayal so keen it felt like she was tearing inside, "I don't understand any of this. When you- When we- " her voice faltered. "Some friend you are." she said in a low tone, her expression growing hard.

Ino turned to Temari, "Temari, I'll see you later. Be careful with Shikamaru." After issuing that warning she hurriedly stalked away, her footsteps fading in the early night.

Temari kept her gaze on Shikamaru and saw the flash of pain in his eyes when Ino uttered the bitter words.

"What just happened?" Temari slowly asked, entering the house and pulling the door free from Shikamaru's unresisting fingers. She closed the door and stood in the hallway, patiently waiting for an answer.

Shikamaru grimaced and rubbed his neck wearily. "I succumbed to impulse and did something I shouldn't have." He turned and headed back to the living room.

"Come on in. Let's get this over with. Want anything to drink?"

"I think you need it more than I do," said Temari dryly, following him. "So, what'd you do?"

He sat down on the couch and leaned his head back against the cushions. Shikamaru closed his eyes and held silent.

"Let's just say you arrived in the nick of time." He clenched his jaw, opening his eyes and looking at the Sand shinobi. "Did you bring a map of the merchant town?" Shikamaru asked curtly, his tone making it clear that the subject was closed.

Temari, correctly predicting that she'd get nowhere even if she continued to probe, sighed and opened the leather bag she brought with her. It wasn't any of her business but she felt bad for Shikamaru who was doing his best to hide the hurt she saw earlier. The two friends obviously fought. What she didn't understand was why Ino would have warned her against him like that. Dinner with Ino later was probably going to be a strained affair.

oOOo

Ino slowed down when she was far enough from Shikamaru's apartment. She couldn't stop thinking about what nearly happened. If Temari had arrived a little later...But why would he do that? She stopped in her tracks, her cheeks burning when she remembered how tightly Shikamaru had gripped her hand. How good he smelled and how warm his breath was against her cheek.

"No! No! No!," she gritted her teeth, shaking her head adamantly. Whatever reason Shikamaru had for doing what he did, Temari was still in the picture and if she was meeting him at his house like this, it could only be because things were turning serious for them. _Then why was Temari denying their relationship?_ Growing confused, Ino decided the best course of action was to be indifferent to the situation and let things lie.

She was still hurting though. No matter how you looked at it, it was wrong of him to do that to her when they've been friends for so long and he and Temari seem to be, for all intents and purposes…suddenly she felt exhausted. This is pathetic. _A Yamanaka should not fall in a breakdown._

Dejected, she continued to walk home, not knowing how pitiful she looked lugging her purchases, feet dragging and shoulders drooping. Not looking where she was going, she nearly bumped into another pedestrian walking against her.

"Gomen- " Ino started. Lifting her gaze, she locked eyes with Neji. "Neji!" she exclaimed.

With him were his other teammates; Tenten and Rock Lee. "Konichiwa Tenten, Lee." Ino bobbed her head in their direction.

"Dear Ino, you must look where you're going! Someone so young and so beautiful should not walk like a hunched back granny!" Lee boomed passionately. "The springtime of youth is brimming in you. You must let it shine!"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "Hi Ino."

Neji stared at the blonde kunoichi, taking note of the trembling lips and the pale complexion. "Lee, Tenten, you go ahead. I'll help Ino bring home her purchases."

"Okay. Don't forget. You're expected at the Hyuga ceremony tomorrow." reminded Tenten. The ceremony was Neji's formal ascension as the next in line to Hinata's father as head of the clan. The law about the main and branch family had been put down by Hinata's father and Neji had been chosen by the clan's council as the best candidate to succeed the line. Neji had been worried about Hinata's reaction to the declaration but it seems Hinata was relieved at not having to take up the position of head of the clan and was genuinely happy for Neji.

Tenten looked closely at Ino. She also noticed that the normally vibrant shinobi was looking a bit wan. Neji had told their team that he'd been doing extra training with her because her teammate was away visiting family. Now, Neji was probably making sure everything was alright with Ino in the guise of helping her carry her shopping. Neji can be such a compassionate guy when he wants to be. Tenten thought fondly.

"Take care Ino. Ja ne." Tenten waved goodbye and dragged away a still exclaiming Lee by the arm.

"I'll take those." Neji took the bags from Ino and started walking in the direction of her house.

"Arigatou, Neji," she laughed self-deprecatingly. "I seem to be thanking you a lot lately. Soon, I'd be owing you favours I won't be able to repay within this lifetime."

"You can repay me now by telling me what's got you so down." Neji said gently. They continued walking in silence, the cool night air calming Ino.

"I'm not sure where to start," Sneaking a sideway glance at the proud profile of the prodigy, she continued hesitantly. "Something happened that made me doubt a friend."

Neji gazed at her, waiting for her to say more.

After that revealing conversation that started with the question of shampoo, Neji had been opening more and more to Ino. Though she wasn't entirely at ease with him yet, she'd already grown comfortable around Neji's company. With Sakura preoccupied and Chouji away, though even with Chouji here she wouldn't have confided such private feelings to her teammate, Neji was the only other person she could trust not to dismiss her feelings and treat her seriously. Shikamaru, of course, was the cause of her turmoil and wasn't a likely choice for a confidant.

"I was...hurt at something this friend did and I don't even know if it was done intentionally. He was acting so uncharacteristically and took me completely by surprise. It felt like a betrayal." Her voice jerky, she went on. "And let me tell you, it hurts like the devil when you're betrayed. Though of course, you'd know that."

She sighed. "Gomen ne, Neji. My mouth ran away from me again."

"Iie, it's alright. Betrayal is a hard emotion to manage. It can consume you quickly and will turn you bitter and hateful unless you learn to forgive and let go." Neji quietly said, looking at Ino sadly. "It was a difficult lesson for me to learn; forgiving. But until you do, the bitterness will eat at you."

"You say your friend was acting differently. Maybe he has good reason for behaving so- "

"Iie!" Ino burst out. "The baka had no reason to do what he did! He- !"

"Ino," Neji interrupted. He waited for Ino to calm down before continuing. "Right now, you're thinking emotionally. Try to think logically. He's been your friend for a long time, right?" Ino nodded mulishly. "Then why would he do something that would cost you both pain? Wait, let me finish," Neji said, when Ino looked ready to cry out with another denial. "Whatever happened, I don't think anybody will not feel pain upon causing a friend hurt. Whatever it was he has done was probably done unintentionally or was beyond his control."

"You may not be ready to accept this yet, but think it through." He stopped walking and stood looking down at Ino. They had reached her apartment and were standing by the shadowed doorway. Neji placed her bags on the doorstep and gently took hold of Ino's chin lifting her gaze to his. His calm gaze took in the tear-brightened eyes and lips swollen from biting. He lifted his hand from her chin and drew it lightly against her smooth cheek.

"Lee was right, you are too beautiful to be acting so glum." Neji murmured. He slowly bent his head, giving her a chance to back away but when she remained standing still he leaned closer and touched his lips to hers. Ino's eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into the kiss, her trembling lips parting. Neji's lips slowly moved over hers, gently nipping her lower lip. She gasped and he entered her mouth, stroking her with his tongue. Her hands rose and gripped him by the shoulders. Neji settled his hands on her hips and pulled her closer.

They stayed locked in an embrace for a few more moments before Neji slowly leaned back and kissed her lightly on the lips. Ino's eyes opened languidly and found Neji looking at her with a heavy-lidded gaze, his face serious. She nervously licked her lips and watched Neji's eyes fall to her mouth, his expression turning fierce.

She turned her back and clasped her arms. "Neji- " she shivered when she felt his hands settle on her shoulders.

"Gomenasai, Ino-san." She looked up at Neji behind her, surprised at his honorific use of her name. "You were feeling vulnerable and I took advantage of the situation." Neji smiled crookedly.

"Iie." Ino shook her head, "Please. Don't apologize. I...kissed you back but...I'm not sure about what I feel right now. I'm still so messed up from earlier." she inhaled deeply. "What do we do now, Neji?"

Ino felt Neji turning her around. "We go on as before Ino. We are still friends. But I can't deny I feel strongly about you."

Neji gazed intently into her eyes. She suddenly felt stripped of all defenses against that look. "I expect you to be at the Hyuga compound tomorrow promptly. No excuses for ducking out of training, hm?" Neji smiled a bit awkwardly.

"What about the ceremony Tenten mentioned?" Ino asked. She'd never seen Neji act the least bit clumsy, but he was doing so now. She realized Neji must be feeling a bit of the disorientation she was currently experiencing. "Wouldn't it last the whole day?"

"Only for the morning. It's merely a formality." Neji replied, still gazing down at her. "I'll leave you now. Think about what I said concerning your friend, hn? It would be better if you patch things up with him."

When she remained silent, he turned and started to walk away. Ino followed him with her gaze and blurted out, "Will you come with me to the festival?"

Neji swiftly turned to look at her, "The Konoha Festival?" he inquired.

"Hai." Suddenly uncertain, Ino said, "Unless you're already going out with someone. I know you might be going out with your team- "

"No. I'm not going with anyone." Turning fully to face her, he went on, "I'll meet you here at nine. There will be an opening ceremony first. A ritual procession of the Sage renewal cycle. Though, I heard it will start much earlier than the parade. The parade is supposed to start at ten, we can walk to the grounds together if you like."

"I'm actually staying over at Sakura's for the festival. Do you know where her place is?"

"Yes, I'm familiar with the location. I will meet you there instead?"

"Yes, I'd like that." Ino answered softly. "See you tomorrow, Neji-kun. Take care on your way home."

"Arigatou, Ino-san." Neji executed a small bow before turning back and continued walking down the street.

Ino waited until Neji was out of sight before unlocking her door and bringing her shopping in. Once inside, she placed the bags on the floor and sagged against the closed door. The day had been one upheaval after another. She didn't know what to make of this latest development. She raised her hand and touched her tender lips. Her thoughts floated back to the kiss with Neji but instead an image of Shikamaru's face leaning down to hers flashed in her head.

Ino's expression clouded, her mind in turmoil. Neji had kissed her only moments ago but it was Shikamaru that filled her thoughts. She was still so upset that even the memory of her first kiss was overshadowed by what she perceived as Shikamaru's deceitful behaviour. She didn't know what Neji intend to do now but from what he said they were going to carry on with their training as if nothing climactic had happened between them.

She was slightly taken aback when he readily accepted her invitation. She wondered what Shikamaru would feel when he saw her and Neji together in the festival after she had forcefully made clear that she wasn't going with him. She immediately berated herself for such a stupid thought. She didn't need to explain herself to anybody much less to someone who could be so duplicitous.

Ino wasn't ready to do what Neji advised. Her emotions were still too raw. Shikamaru had nearly kissed her! Such an act coming from a guy whom she knew detested any emotional bond with women and towards her, of all people, was almost as impossible to believe as Hyuga Neji suddenly bestowing her her first kiss. She felt guilty when she thought of the silver-eyed shinobi.

Neji didn't know the nature of the deed that got her so distressed with her _friend_. After the near miss with Shikamaru, how could she let herself share in that sweet kiss with Neji? And it had been sweet. The memory of that moment made her blush anew, adding colour to her pale cheeks.

She glanced at the clock, hanging on the opposite wall, as it struck the hour. It was already seven and she still had to set the table and prepare the other dish to go along with the ramen. Temari promised to be here for dinner so her visit to Shikamaru's house will be ending soon if she's to make it back in time.

Ino grabbed the bags and headed for the kitchen, dropping the package with the new robe in the couch as she passed her small living room. She transferred the ramen in a pot and turned on the heating pad beneath it. Then she started taking out the ingredients for the fish and chips that will go along with the noodles.

Temari unlocked the door to Ino's apartment and entered cautiously. The smell of fried fish and delicious ramen was wafting in the air. She followed the scent and entered the kitchen where a small square table, doubling as a dining area, was set for two.

Ino was busy dishing out the potato crisps from a crackling pan and didn't notice her. Temari waited for Ino to move away from the hot oil before announcing herself, lest she caused Ino to burn herself accidentally.

"Erm, hi Ino." said Temari nervously. Shikamaru had been abrupt throughout their meeting and she was unsure of the reception she'd receive from Ino after the kunoichi had left in fury.

Ino started. "Eh! Temari! You're back." Ino smiled at the wary girl.

"Can you get the yellow pitcher from the fridge? I made some sweetened tea to go with our meal." Ino pointed to a small red fridge beside the stove. "I'll just let this soak for awhile and then dinner will be ready." She indicated the chips she placed on top a wad of paper towels that were already turning translucent from the excess oil.

Temari, relieved that Ino seemed to be back to her usual self, moved to the refrigerator and got the pitcher of iced tea. She made her way to the table where she set down the tall plastic container and took her seat.

Ino took off her kitchen gloves and quickly washed her hands in the sink. She took the plateful of chips and dumped them in a bowl, placing it on the table and sat opposite Temari.

"Itadakimasu." They said in unison.

There was silence while they both started partaking of the delicious ramen and tender fish. After taking a sip from the cold tea, Temari spoke up, "Ino, I hope you don't mind but what did you mean earlier when you told me to be careful of Shikamaru?"

Ino put down her chopsticks and looked at the questioning face across the table, "I'm sorry about that. Shikamaru and I got into an argument and I said some thoughtless things in the heat of the moment."

"I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean anything by it," she shot Temari a rueful smile. "I hope your visit wasn't ruined by my thoughtlessness. I'm really sorry if I made trouble for you guys."

A bit sceptical about Ino's explanation and troubled over that last remark, Temari decided to drop the subject assuring the anxious-looking kunoichi that her visit went well.

Conversation turned to lighter matters and after cleaning up the remains of their supper, Ino went to the living room to watch on her small television while Temari read some scrolls she brought along with her from her village. The evening ended peacefully with both women turning in early for the night.

When Ino got into her room she gave a sigh of relief at successfully easing Temari's worries. While preparing dinner she concluded that Temari, whom she still believed was for some reason keeping secret the fact that she's dating Shikamaru, did not need to know about what nearly happened between Ino and him. She had arrived before things could progress beyond the bounds of friendship.

_But it doesn't mean I'm in any hurry to forgive the jerk! _she pursed her lips tightly, completely forgetting that during that moment she had been leaning in to meet Shikamaru half way.

Shikamaru had been her friend for a long time and while anger still burned in her heart, she could not dismiss their long history together. For now, it was better to distance herself from the tall shinobi and guard her words on the occasions when she might bump into him in the future. Until her anger cooled she didn't want to catch herself doing anything rash.

_Neji..._

She turned to face her reflection on the mirror above her dresser. After a moment, she turned away. Right now, she'll concentrate on getting ready for bed and getting some sleep. The morning will arrive soon enough.

* * *

**Ooookay. Surprising turn of events, right? Yeah, I was shocked too. I couldn't stop alternately giggling and cursing when I got to the part where Neji brought Ino's stuff to her apartment. It just suddenly popped in my head that the moment was too good to let it slide. The Konoha Festival is lined up as the major event for the next chapter, which will have to wait for a couple of weeks.**

**Yep. Two weeks, guys. This chapter isn't even due 'til next week but I was so far gone in writer-mode that I couldn't stop scribbling everything down. But, I have an exhibit coming up and I need to get started on the darn thing already and I shelved said exhibit in favor of completing this chappy. Waaa! (cowering)**

**...It's 4AM? 4AM! !**

**Sheesh. (cough cough) Thanks to all the readers, I keep checking my stats and am quite happy seeing my healthy ratings for my first fanfic. Some of you readers might like to review? (puppy eyes) Kudos to the reviewers for taking the time to let me know what they think. You're the best, guys! (Mhhhuuaaaaa!)**

**Don't forget to drop me a line. Ja ne!**


	5. On Kisses and Making Up

THWACK!

Shikamaru narrowly avoided the thrown kunai and continued running, keeping his target in sight. Seeing an opening he swiftly turned and threw three kunai in quick succession. The nin he was aiming for disappeared in a puff of smoke upon contact.

_Damn! A clone!_

His eyes darted around, searching for something. _There_.

Eyes gleaming with grim determination, Shikamaru sought a branch to stand on while performing the seals of his shadow jutsu. The darkness expanded around him and extended towards a bush where a glimpse of orange cloth was visible. He felt the thrum of satisfaction when the shadows captured the nin and held him immobile.

Sensing movement behind him he let the shadows engulf his form, keeping him hidden while more of the encompassing darkness slithered beyond the small building to his left and captured two more shinobi.

He could feel Naruto's chakra systematically breaking through his jutsu. He held the jutsu for a minute longer before suddenly expelling a breath and releasing the shinobi.

He glanced up as he felt the earth rumble and saw Sakura with her fist buried in the ground and Temari in mid-jump with her fan held out in front of her.

He leaped down from the branch and walked to the clearing, away from the shadows and into the warm caress of the sun.

"Sakura, Temari, that's enough," he called out. Sakura and Temari halted and relaxed their stance. "Everybody, we're done for the day."

Naruto, released from Shikamaru's jutsu, straightened from his crouch behind the bush and walked towards Shikamaru. Gano and Shinji, the two other members of his team, jumped down from their hiding places and went up to him as well.

"Ei, Shikamaru, we seem to be training harder than usual today. What gives?" asked Gano, rotating his shoulder and bending his neck right and left.

Gano was a tall man, built thickly around the shoulders and chest while Shinji was lean and wiry, a tensile strength emanating from his form. Both became jounin two years before Shikamaru but they quickly came to respect the shadow jutsu wielder when it became apparent that though they held seniority over the younger man, Shikamaru's brains and his reputation for completing high risk missions with no loss of life or major injuries to his team made him an excellent leader and an easy man to take orders from.

"Getting yourself captured so easily should be answer enough," Shikamaru replied shortly. "We have four days before we leave for Suna and I want everybody to be ready for this mission. Next time, don't get caught."

Naruto was strangely subdued and didn't erupt with his trademark "fighting spirit" spiel.

Sakura propped a fist on her hip, "The Konoha Festival starts tomorrow. How are we going to train for the next three days if the whole of Konoha will turn into a zoo?" It is the norm for the celebration during the festival to get slightly out of hand with tourists and locals happily mingling and determinedly getting rip-roaring drunk during the parties. Most of the shinobi take this time of the year to relax and enjoy being alive, so much so that nine months later there will be a sudden spurt in Konoha's population.

"We train two hours every afternoon in the underground training area inside the palace." he said flatly. "If you show up in the morning and later at the parties nobody will notice if you're missing for a few hours in the afternoon. If anybody asks, make up a prior engagement or something. That shouldn't be hard."

After briefing his team on their strong and weak points during the training, Shikamaru dismissed them and stood watching the clouds while everybody, save for one, dispersed.

"Mind telling me what's really got you so worked up?" Shikamaru's gaze flitted lazily to where Temari was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest.

When he didn't answer, Temari continued, "Ino doesn't seem to be bothered anymore by whatever it was that you guys fought over. Judging from her recent behavior, something good must have happened to her. She's always humming songs while she's going around doing stuff in the apartment and she gets especially sunny when that Hyuga guy drops by."

"Neji has been visiting her?" Shikamaru asked sharply, his hands unconsciously clenching.

"Ahhh.." Temari said knowingly, looking pointedly at his balled fists.

Shikamaru slowly unclenched his hands and stuffed them in his pockets. "She and Neji have been assigned by the Hokage to train together while Chouji is away in Suna." he muttered stiffly, explaining unnecessarily.

"Training doesn't usually extend to an escort home or the occasional free dinner, does it? Last night, that Neji sure made a commendable effort to eat Ino's version of clam chowder, not her best recipe by the way, and even complimented her on it. I took one bite and opted for her salad immediately." Temari kept a careful eye on Shikamaru, watching his reaction. "I'm still figuring out if the two of them have something going on. You can't really tell with a cold bastard like Hyuga and Ino is just being Ino when around a good-looking guy. Then again, you never know. Still waters run deep and all that crap."

Shikamaru's face remained blank, his gaze distant. "Are you done? I need to get going." He started walking away.

"You like her."

He stopped in his tracks. "Of course I like Ino. She's my teammate. We grew up together."

"Tsk, tsk. I didn't say who. You slipped up."

"It was kind of obvious who you were referring to." he said wryly, turning to face her.

Temari closed the distant between them and stood in front of him. "You want her." she said bluntly.

Shikamaru barked a laugh. "Where'd you get that idea?" He kept his gaze neutral and his stance relaxed. "I may like her as a friend and teammate but it will be a cold day in hell before I even think of seeing her that way. She's the most troublesome woman I know and I avoid getting involved with her ilk like the plague."

"Really?" Temari asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes. Really." he replied in an even tone. "Frankly, Temari, your questioning is getting troublesome. Ino and I will deal with our problems in due time. Getting into fights with her is nothing new."

Temari sighed in exasperation and displaying uncharacteristic affection, stepped to his side and slung one arm over his shoulder. "Fine then. Gomen ne. Tell you what, I'll let you treat me to a bowl of ramen as an apology." she grinned impishly, transferring her arm and looping it through his. She rubbed her middle, pulling a face. "I only had an orange this morning and I've been starving since last night after that measly dinner."

Relaxing for real this time, Shikamaru complained, "Why am I buying if you're the one doing the apologizing?"

"Baka." Temari said easily. "Because I'm a girl and I don't pay when I go on dates. Besides, I'm a guest in your country and you're my guide. "

"Oh? So, I'm a date now. Mendokuse." He looked at her and smiled lazily. "Good thing you're easy on the eyes. I wouldn't have agreed otherwise."

"Chauvinist pig!" She smacked him smartly on the arm.

They proceeded to the town center, his quiet laughter fading in the air.

oOOo

_Pick your nose._

Neji raised a hand and inserted a finger into one nostril. His other arm snapped upward and forcibly pulled the offending hand away. "Ino!"

Ino was bent from the waist, roaring with laughter. "Gomenasai Neji! I couldn't resist," she gasped. "Oh! If only I thought of bringing my camera. I'd have finished a whole roll of film already!" They were practicing her new jutsu, a type of mind control where Ino gets her target to do her bidding by suggestions she send to their minds, even if they were aware of her or not. But she hasn't perfected the technique yet as proven by Neji countering her command.

Neji stood a few feet away frowning at her. "You do that and I'll tell everybody in Konoha that you put mayonnaise and vinegar on your hair."

"Hey! I told you that in confidence!" yelped Ino, giggles still escaping from her lips. "Even still, I'd be way ahead of you in the blackmailing market."

When Neji slowly stalked determinedly towards her, Ino held up a hand and started backing away. "Okay! Okay! Peace!" she said, her eyes bright with alarm but still grinning widely. She was so focused on keeping the genius within her sights in case he suddenly pounced that she missed seeing the small rock on the ground and slipped. Before she hit the ground, one of her flailing arms was suddenly gripped by a warm hand and pulled her upright, a strong arm encircling her waist.

"Where are you going?" Neji murmured, his grip tightening. He let go of her hand and wrapped it around her, joining his other arm.

Her arms were wedged between them with her hands splayed on his chest. Ino looked up at Neji, her smile fading. The teasing forgotten, they stood staring at each other, their lips inches apart.

They were interrupted by the sound of voices approaching the training grounds. "Come on, Lee! I want to see Neji's face when -"

Tenten abruptly halted when she saw the embracing couple. Lee nearly crashed into her, not seeing the pair. "Hey! Why did you suddenly stop?" Lee picked up the wrapped package Tenten dropped.

Neji let his arms fall to his sides while Ino hastily took a step back, turning pink. She hurriedly waved to the two visitors.

"Hi Tenten! What's that you got there, Lee-san?" she called out cheerily, trying without success to divert Tenten's attention from her and Neji.

"Oh, hi Ino!" Lee said brightly, ignorant of anything amiss. "Neji! Tenten and I got you something for when you get promoted to jounin!"

"It's a little early, don't you think?" Neji asked dryly, walking towards his teammates. Ino trailed behind him, getting worried when the other girl still remained silent. Tenten seemed to be in shock. This was the first time Neji showed affection for her after the kiss four days ago. True to his word, Neji has maintained a professional distance during training and was still friendly with her but they never mentioned the kiss or done anything more personal than extending the occasional helping hand.

"Hello, Tenten." Neji said. Tenten just looked at him stonily then went back to glaring at Ino.

Lee nudged her, "What's wrong with you?" He turned back to Neji, "We found a really good blacksmith and had something made for your graduation. The smith is visiting here and figured he'd get in some work and take advantage of the crowd that came for the festival." Lee thrust the package at Neji, "Go ahead! Open it!"

Neji pulled the string tied around the package and lifted the brightly colored paper away revealing a flat rectangular box underneath. Lee was impatiently rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet oblivious to the staring contest that Ino and Tenten were currently engaged in. Ino had always been friendly towards the weapons mistress but right now she was feeling anything but kindly thoughts heading her way judging from the daggers Tenten's eyes were sending her. She smiled weakly at the brunette. _That didn't help._ Tenten's eyes narrowed into slits.

Neji glanced curiously at Tenten as he opened the box, "This is unusual of you Tenten. I'd never expect you to be the sentimental type. Lee, yes but not you," He ignored the exclamation from Lee. Neji's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the contents of the box. He let out a laugh, "I take that back. This is so like you Tenten." He gently took out an elaborately engraved kunai from the case. He absently tucked the box inside his vest and turned the kunai over and over, testing the weight and fingering the engravings.

"Arigatou Lee, Tenten." He said softly, his eyes gleaming with pleasure.

"Glad you like it." Tenten said shortly, breaking her silence, "Let's go Lee. We're done here." She swiftly turned and marched angrily away.

"Ei? Wait up!" Lee craned his neck to watch the rapidly departing girl. "Gomen Neji! Tenten seems to be in a snit. Huh. Catch you later! Bye Ino!" He hurried after Tenten.

Neji stared after his teammates, his expression slightly bewildered. "That was rather abrupt. I'll talk to them later," He turned to Ino. "Shall we continue training?"

"Uh, let's save it for tomorrow." she answered. _Tenten was kind of possessive for a teammate._ Her eyes cleared with comprehension. "I have to help out at the flower shop today. Why don't you go talk to them now?" she nodded his assent and after saying a distracted farewell, Ino headed for the town center, deep in thought. _Could Tenten like Neji?_ If she did, where did that place her? Based on what happened earlier Neji's interest in her didn't seem to have waned. She liked Neji and she liked the attention. She just didn't know yet if she liked him deeply enough to deserve his affection. It would be unfair to him if she didn't. _How could Neji not see Tenten's affection for him? Maybe she's just really possessive of her friends. In a way, I'm like that with Shikamaru._

She was disrupted from her musings when a familiar but rarely heard laugh reached her ears. She looked around until she found a smiling Shikamaru sitting at Ichiraku's and sharing ramen with Temari. She inhaled sharply. _So, they are together. At least they're public about it now._ Twice, she bumped into Shikamaru since that night and both times were the most awkward ten seconds she'd had to endure in her life. The conversations went something like this:

_Ino!_

_You!_

_Yes, me. Uh…hi…_

_Hi..._

_...About that ni -_

_So! I better go. Nice seeing you! Bye!_

_...Bye..._

She grimaced at the memory and carried on walking to the flower shop. She wasn't keen on hearing his excuses for that night and wanted to continue with her cold war with him. But, it's been four days and she missed him. Besides, the cold war seems to be one-sided if Shikamaru is happily getting on with his life while she jealously nurtured her anger, hurting only herself. Ino sighed. _If he tries to talk to me again, I'll stay and listen. No way was she going to run chasing after him asking for an explanation._

_Ino_. Shikamaru watched her walking across the street. _She must be going to the shop._

"Earth to Shikamaru."

"Hn?" He glanced distractedly at Temari. She rolled her eyes and jabbed her chopsticks in the direction of the blonde kunoichi, "Go already. Fix whatever needs fixing."

"Later." he muttered, tearing his eyes away from Ino and stared morosely at his noodles.

Temari extended her arm and swiped the bowl of ramen. "Hey! I'm not done with that!" he protested.

"It's mine now." Temari slurped the steaming soup, bowl held close. "Go."

"Fine. Then you pay." He got up from the table and strode away. "Ja ne." He raised a hand and carelessly waved, smirking at the choking sounds behind him.

"Wha- you-" she sputtered. "I did you a favor, you ass!" Temari yelled at his retreating back.

He wasn't that much of a bastard. Before getting up he left enough bills to cover their tab on the table beside his cup of water, hidden from her view. Still, he enjoyed extracting a little revenge on the Sand shinobi. Now that he was following Ino he started to think that maybe it was better if he headed home instead. But, he'd never hear the end of it from Temari if he passed up this chance. Ever since that night, Ino has been assiduously avoiding him and only by deliberately tailing her did he manage to 'accidentally' bump into her.

He wanted to explain but when he finally managed to catch her his throat seized up and he realized he didn't know exactly what excuse to give her. Tell her the truth? _I want you. _She'd laugh in his face or worse; apologize in pity. He'd known her too long and knew she'd forever boxed him in a friends-only category. He just wasn't Ino's type. Shikamaru noticed that he was expending more effort in chasing after Ino than in any mission he'd dealt with to date. He stopped himself from probing too deeply on the reasons why. He just wanted to mend their friendship and somehow go from there. He'd long ago discarded his idiotic idea of hooking up with another girl. He was only asking for trouble.

He reached the flower shop and pushed open the door, the tinkling of wind chimes signaling his entry.

"I'll be right with you," came the muffled reply from Ino, hidden somewhere behind the counter. She flipped her hair and stood up holding a bouquet of perennials in a glass vase. She nearly dropped the crystal when she saw who was at the door.

"Shika," she carefully placed the vase on the table beside the register. "Buying flowers?"

"No," Shikamaru stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets, "Can we talk?"

"Alright," she went around the counter and leaned against a table facing him. "Shoot." He was a bit surprised at her quick assent. He had expected another version of their last conversation.

"Gomenasai."

"...and?" Ino waited. She wanted to hear _why_.

"That's it. I don't know what else to say." Shikamaru took out a hand from his pocket and rubbed his neck.

"Oh come on Shikamaru," she said, her anger building again. "You don't go around...k-kissing girls, especially a friend, for no reason." Ino felt her face heating up.

"But we didn't," He avoided looking at her. "Things got a bit out of hand but Temari arrived before anything happened."

"Yeah, Temari," Ino bit out. "When were you going to tell me about her?"

"Huh? Tell you what?" Shikamaru looked confused.

"The girl is staying under my roof. Yes, I invited her, but you could have told me that you're going out with her," Before he could say anything, Ino went on. "You hide the fact that you're involved in a relationship and then go around giving your friend, who is also you're girlfriend's host, almost-but-not-quite-a-kiss even though you were expecting Temari to arrive any minute. She's a nice girl and I'm your friend. How low is that?"

"It hurt, Shika-kun," her voice cracked. "Why would you do that?"

Shikamaru closed the distance between them and pulled her in a hug. "Gomen, Ino." She kept her arms rigidly at her side and bit her lip, looking blindly at the ceiling. "There's nothing going on between me and Temari. She's a friend and we're stuck preparing for a mission together. It's S-rank and I've been told not to disclose it. That's the extent of my relationship with her."

He sighed, loosening his hold on her, "What happened between us, I can't explain. It was impulsive and I was stupid. It won't happen again." He took a step back and looked at her soberly. "I don't want to fight with you and I didn't mean to hurt you, Ino."

"You jerk. You should have told me that from the beginning," she said quietly. "You're right. You were stupid and I missed you." Ino rubbed her eyes, "I can't believe I got so emotional over this. Stupid period." she muttered in embarrassment.

Shikamaru chuckled. Ino's cheeks got even redder.

"I missed you, too." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Am I forgiven?"

"Maybe. Depends." She took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "You'll be doing some serious groveling for a few days before I can forgive you properly. Dammit! You nearly made me cry. Don't do that again Shika-kun," her tone turned dark. "Or so help me..."

He raised his hands in defense, "Okay. I got the message." He settled in his relaxed pose, hands back in his pockets and just looked at her.

"What?" she asked warily.

"Tomorrow's the festival. Do you still want to go together?" Shikamaru tensed. He knew it was too early after they'd just patched up their fight but he deliberately didn't make any commitments for the festival on the off chance that he and Ino might still go together. Had they not mended their friendship he had already worked out several strategies that would result with them together at the festival still, even if Ino should be reluctant about it. Besides, it was their team's tradition to always go together. There's no breaking with tradition, right?

"I'm sorry Shika but I can't," she said regretfully. "I'm going out with Neji." She smiled sheepishly.

His hands balled into fists inside his pockets. Apparently, right now was a good time for change.

* * *

**AN: Yakyakyak...they do go on don't they? Hi guys! I know I said this chapter is slated for the festival scene. I take it back. Gomen! This chapter will get too long so I pitched the fest to the next chappie instead. Hope you liked. Had fun writing this one. If you have ideas/suggestions on how the story goes, do drop me a line. I'm getting drowned on the details and feeling a bit lost already (scratches head). Gasp!**

**Ja ne! XD**


	6. Konohagakure Festival: Sage Procession

**AN:** Long over due. But I have a bucket list and on that list is a vow to finish all loose ties. Procrastinator that I am, you have no idea how long that list alone is.

It's been years and I realize a good chunk of the previous chapters could benefit from some tweaking. I'm still trying to figure out how to do that since FF seems to have totally lost me on why pressing the EDIT button in the Publish section doesn't do anything at all. *Mutter..mutter..*

Anyway, finally got around to working on the festival chapters. Had to look up a lot of Japan festival info to make the following chapters even remotely believably festive. I like how it's progressing though. Very much so. Might have to soon change the rating from T to M. Please forgive some of the grammatical errors. I've lost track of the days already and I'm editing on the fly.

I'm on my fifth cup of coffee. I'm going to finish this story this month even if it means taking catnaps for the next three weeks. _Ja ne!_

* * *

"Sakura! Oi! Forehead! Hurry up!" Ino yelled from the bottom of the staircase.

Sakura's apartment was similar to hers with a small second floor that led to a bedroom and bathroom. In Sakura's bedroom the bottom section of her bed frame pulled out to a spare futon, which Ino would use whenever she'd crash at Sakura's place.

Ino once again moved in front of the mirror hanging in the tiny hallway and looked at her reflection. There was no actual dress code for the festival but with so many people visiting most of the villagers of Konohagakure would turn out in their best dress to impress any traveling guests. In Ino's case, she switched her usual midriff baring pants and top normal wear with a kimono given to her by her mother. It was a simple silk _kimono_ in a light aquamarine hue with a repeat pattern of wave forms dyed along the hem climbing up in a spiral flow to the front of the robe. A darker royal blue _obi_ with red trim wrapped around her waist and kept the _kimono_ closed. On her feet were white _tabi_ socks and a pair of brocade covered _zori_. Her hair she kept in a simple side swept bun with a couple of jade _kanzashi_ holding it in place.

She giggled when she thought how she must look hollering insults while wearing a kimono. She looked so _girly._ She turned to view her silhouette. The complicated _musubi_ on her back was held in place by an _obijime_ which she looped through a small pouch in the same fabric as the kimono. The pouch contained money and a pocket mirror and settled snugly against her _obi_. She debated whether she should bring at least a couple of kunai knives to be hidden in her sleeves, but in the end, decided against it. Her taijutsu training with Neji has paid off and would surely suffice in any situation that required combat activity.

Sakura popped her head out of the bedroom doorway. "I need help tying my obi_._ And stop being so childish, pig."

"Can we do that here, downstairs? It's hard to climb stairs in this get up, you know." Ino complained.

Sakura gingerly held her peach colored kimono up and slowly walked down the stairs. Her pink obi and obijime were clutched in the other hand.

Ino hurried up to Sakura. "Hand me that," she held out her hand for the obi, "Now turn around."

She quickly tied the obi into a simple drum bow, a _taiko musubi_.

"Obijime please," she tied the obijime around Sakura, pushing the sleeves of her kimono higher up her arms to give her room to maneuver. "Do you want to tie your pouch to this?"

"No, it's fine. The kimono's sleeves have a small insert pocket that will serve." Sakura craned her neck to check out the bow behind her. "Ei? Pretty neat. But how come it's just a drum bow? I like yours better."

"Well, I had more time tying it up like that and it was bloody difficult, let me tell you." she muttered, craning her neck to look at her complicated bow again. "You, however, were too slow getting ready." They both turned in unison to check their reflections and met each other's eyes in the mirror. They burst into giggles.

"This is silly. Just because we're wearing kimonos is no reason to behave like superficial, vain girls." Sakura chuckled.

"Speak for yourself. Vanity has its purpose. Now, let's go!" Ino pulled open the front door and took a step out into bedlam.

oOOo

The streets were filling up with people. Some were dressed as they were but most were wearing a hakama over their kimono. The dividing skirts making it easier for the women to move. Most of the men were wearing a _haori_ with the locals typically sporting the emblem of Konohagakure on the back of the robe-like jacket. Street vendors were in among the crowd. Their voices loud and competing against each other.

"Come on, the procession would have started already." Sakura said excitedly. For awhile, she forgot about the S-rank mission and tried to just enjoy the first day of the festival.

Sakura's arm was looped with Ino's making it easier for the pair to walk straight. Neither of them have much experience in wearing a kimono and the narrow fabric over their legs kept them from moving quickly.

"Maybe it would have been better to just wear a _hakama_. This mincing step business is so slow." Ino muttered. She looked around her for a familiar face. _Where's Neji? I know we took a little longer than expected getting ready. _"I thought some of the guys would be meeting us at your house."

"Hmmn?" Sakura said absently, her gaze wandering over the people nearby. "Oh look! There's Neji and Lee!" she pointed at the pair also dressed in kimonos of varying formality.

Ino brightened up when she looked at where Sakura was pointing. She lifted her free arm in a wave. "Neji-san! Over here!" They waited for the guys to come to them, it being easier for the men to walk in their hakama trousers.

"Wow! Dear Sakura-chan! You look like your namesake! A cherry blossom in full bloom!" Lee exclaimed. "Your beautiful kimono with the flowering blossom pattern perfectly suits you!"

For once, Sakura didn't grimace at the overly passionate declarations. She blushed instead, "Arigatou Lee. You look very nice too." Lee preened like a peacock.

"I'd like to extend my compliments as well, Ino-san. Your kimono brings out the color of your eyes and makes your skin look even more luminous." Neji murmured, his eyes gleaming in quiet appreciation.

"Pfft..." She smirked. "Thanks Neji-san, you don't look half-bad yourself. This would look better loose though." Ino reached behind him and teasingly gave the tail of his tied hair a tug and swung it over his shoulder. "Much more feminine and in your kimono, you might just be mistaken for a mysterious pretty visiting royal princess." Ino laughed.

Neji looked taken aback. Lee let out a laugh while Sakura tried to hide her giggles behind her hand.

"It's a joke Neji." Ino deliberately dropped the honorific and gave his hair one last tug before letting go, giving him a small smile.

Neji returned her smile and took hold of her hand. "Maybe we should revisit our last lesson and I'll teach you what teasing me will get you."

Ino's smile turned into a full laugh. Sakura's eyebrow rose at the sight of their clasped hands. Lee was oblivious as usual. "Hey! Our dearest teammate Tenten is still not here! Where could the beautiful flower be?" He twisted from side to side, rolling on the balls of his feet.

"I'm here." They all turned to face the woman slowly walking toward them, her expression stony. Tenten was dressed in a white kimono with a pattern of birds in flight and open fans dyed in tan and cream printed all over the surface of the fabric. Her _obi_, a deep ruby shade with white gold trim offset her outfit perfectly. Wooden combs with jet beads hung fragile on her dark hair which was swept up to one side leaving the rest to fall over the other side of her face, creating a dark silk curtain of hair.

"Tenten." Neji's expression looked shocked. "You look-"

"Tenten my dear! You look enchanting! Like a mist parting to reveal a meadow of red satsuki flowers!" Lee interrupted, stars shining in his eyes.

"Thanks Lee," said Tenten wryly. "Hello Neji." she said coolly, her lips tightening when she saw his hand holding Ino's. She turned to face Ino and Sakura, "Guys."

An awkward silence fell. Lee was unable to provide his usual distraction as his attention was focused on adjusting his _haori-himo._ The string fastener was unraveling over his _haori_.

"Ahahaha!" Sakura laughed nervously. "Come on, we should head to the palace. The shrine would be proceeding there right?" She hurriedly looped her arm around Tenten and pulled her forward leading their party as they started walking in the palace's direction.

"I'm sure everybody else will be there by now. We took ages getting ready. Your _kimono_ really is quite beautiful Tenten and I love what you did with your hair. Who helped you choose the fabric?" Sakura continued to chatter, towing the stoic kunoichi with her. Lee followed closely behind exclaiming about his frantic search for his costume the day before at stores that were fast running out of quality kimono. Neji and Ino trailed behind.

Ino pulled her hand away from Neji. He didn't seem to notice, his gaze riveted to the brunette in front of them, "Neji, is something bothering Tenten?" she kept her voice low to avoid the others overhearing.

Neji gazed down at her, "Yes, it seems so. But, when I asked her about it she was noncommittal." His brow furrowed, his silvery grey eyes uncharacteristically worried. "After giving me the ceremonial kunai she has been acting strange. Very distant. It bothers me."

Ino recalled the conclusions she drew at the time. Tenten's behavior didn't seem to be about her being possessive with her friends. It felt distinctly more like a she-cat who's marked her territory, growling at an interloper. She glanced at the man walking beside her, observing the concern still furrowing his brow.

"Neji," she started hesitantly, "have you ever considered-"

"Sakura-chan! Wow! You look great!" shouted Naruto.

With him were Kiba, Shino and Hinata. Team 8 were also costumed in kimono. Hinata very prettily in a smoke grey _furisode _with her hands clasped in front, the sleeves hanging low in front of her. Her pink obi edged with dark silver trim was also tied in a complicated musubi_. _Silk flowers were woven into her hair tied loosely against the base of her neck. Kiba and Shino were in similar grey colored kimonos. Most surprisingly, Naruto looked stark in a nearly black kimono with dyed autumn leaves in tiny print all over the fabric. A dark grey _haori_ slashed with yellow silk trim completed his costume.

_So much for their plan on attending the festival alone. _ She glanced at Neji in amusement. He was looking at her, his eyes crinkling in shared humor.

Hellos were exchanged between the group. Ino started to count heads to check who else was missing, "Hey, where's Shikamaru?"

"I think he got roped into participating in the procession." Kiba snickered. "He has to wear a _fundoshi_. Part of the shrine procession will be a _Hadaka Matsuri_. The organizers didn't have enough volunteers. So Shikamaru was _drafted_. Get it? Drafted. _Drafty_." he waggled his eyebrows, his smile wolfish. "An unfortunate case of wrong place, wrong time."

"Your humor, as always, is beyond contempt Kiba." said Shino. He adjusted the dark glassed on his face. He looked like a scholar samurai. Kiba was muttering invectives shooting glares at his teammate. Hinata patted his shoulder consolingly, smiling in amusement.

"Why a Naked Festival to follow the procession? The renewal procession of the Sage of the Six Paths will require supplicants to drive away bad luck and bring good luck for a new cycle. The statue of the Sage in the shrine is the goal of the supplicants. To successfully drive bad luck away and bring good luck to the village for a new cycle, a supplicant, highly inebriated, must walk directly through the middle of the temple, approach the shrine straight down the center and touch the Sage statue. To do otherwise, or to take the "crooked" path will result in failure. As all supplicants must drink enormous amounts of sake, many attempts are typically made before a successfully "straight" approach is achieved."

Everybody goggled at Shino, save for Neji who maintained his calm expression.

"What?" shrieked Ino.

"Seriously!" exclaimed Sakura.

"In this weather, all that alcohol will head straight to their heads." mused Tenten. "All those near-naked men, wearing thongs and not much else….trampling in this heat…and you say Shikamaru will be one of them?" The girls suddenly shared knowing looks, except for Ino who was frowning at all the sudden anticipation.

"Hahaha! I think it would be fun! I wish I was a supplicant! I'd definitely keep my head and insure good luck to the village rightaway!" yelled Naruto, his arms flapping excitedly. Sakura calmly pulled her sleeve away and punched Naruto on the head.

"Owww!"

"We must hurry and watch the _Hadaka_! We must support Shikamaru in his heroic endeavor and be his pillars of strength to urge him on to a quick success!" said Lee, "If I was a supplicant, nothing will stop me-"

"NO!" Everybody shouted in unison.

Everyone's thoughts were on the last drunken rampage Lee went on after unknowingly eating a bonbon spiked with cognac. Varying grimaces and wincing expressions filled with dread peppered everyone's faces. Just a single drop of alcohol caused the bushy-browed shinobi to explode in combat mayhem with no regard for property, his ability to distinguish friend from foe reduced to nil. Letting him loose in a religious procession would be nothing short of a calamity.

"Why not?" asked Lee in a hurt tone. "I am certain I will do my best-"

"Lee-san, will you help me fix my obi_?" _Sakura interrupted. "I seem to have snagged it against something."

Lee brightened, all thoughts about the procession forgotten in the face of his precious jewel, his beloved Sakura-chan, asking for his help. They all waited for the short time it took to fix the imaginary snag on Sakura's obi and then they all continued their walk to the palace where the main village temple was housed.

Ino was still having trouble digesting Shino's revelation.

_Shika-kun? In a thong?_

oOOo

The main avenue leading to the palace was thronged with spectators. The crowd's noise was a dim roar. People further down the road started pointing excitedly at the approaching procession. Shinobi in Konoha uniform were stationed all along the street to keep the crowd back and maintain order. Most of the 500 supplicants were farmhands with hulking muscled bodies and merchant apprentices from the village guilds. A few were like Shikamaru, shinobi roped into participating. The procession began at the large Konoha gates. As the shrine is carried toward the temple in the palace, the supplicants will be fed sake continuously as they wait for the shrine to reach the temple. Then, the men begin the Hadaka led by shinobi attendants up the main avenue. With so many mostly drunken men, fights breaking out was inevitable.

The statue of the Sage was already near the palace gates by the time the group reached the avenue. The men managed to clear a path to the front of the road and the women walked as quickly as their kimono would allow through the opening they made.

"Oh look, we made it in time for the Hadaka." murmured Hinata, her cheeks suddenly flushing when she realized she was staring at Naruto when she said this.

A sudden upswing in sound preceded the Hadaka. Laughing men wearing white fundoshi came into view. They were a heaving mess. Pushing and shoving against each other in fun. A fair number already sported scraped knuckles and blossoming bruises. More were holding on to empty sake bottles and singing off key arm in arm with fellow supplicants. The shinobi attendants would occasionally pull a veering supplicant back into the line or dive into a furious fistfight that broke off as abruptly as it started. Periodically, the attendants would splash the near naked men with cold water from a leather water jug. The crowd cheered them on.

Ino searched the men, looking for Shikamaru. _Where is he?_

Suddenly, Kiba waved his arms and shouted, "Shikamaru! Over here!"

"Shikamaru! We are your pillars of strength! Kanpai!" yelled Lee, also waving his arms frantically.

Naruto started to laugh. Sakura joined in giggling. Soon, the rest of the group were joining in the mirth. Hinata and Tenten tittering while Kiba and Naruto continued to snicker. Shino and Neji even cracked a smile. Lee continued to cheer Shikamaru on. Ino, on the other hand, was stupefied.

Shikamaru looked flushed. His long hair was wet and down on his shoulders, just like the time she came upon him in surprise at his apartment. His eyes were hooded but he was smiling ruefully. His body was glistening with moisture in the morning light, probably remnants from all the cold showers the attendants threw on them. He waved at the group half-heartedly. The _fundoshi_ fit him well. The cloth rolled neatly and tied low on his hips. The thin thong exposed his tight buttocks. It was a wonder it wasn't see through with all the cold water dumped on them and the thong being white and of a thin material.

Ino blushed at the thought but she couldn't look away. As Shikamaru got closer, she noticed that his nipples were hard and pebbled in the cool air. His neck, like his face, was flushed pink from the sake but the rest of him was pale perfection.

_Perfection? What the hell's wrong with me? This is Shikamaru!_ Ino dazely shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Ino? Are you okay?" Neji's question broke her out of her reverie. _Neji! Focus on Neji. _She thought in relief.

She gave a blindingly sunny smile at the tall shinobi. "Sure! I'm absolutely fantastic! It's just it's already past 10 and Sakura and I have been up since the crack of dawn getting ready. I haven't even had breakfast yet. I guess, the heat is just getting to me." Ino babbled, still smiling wide.

Neji cupped her cheek, a slight frown on his face. "You should not go without breakfast, Ino-san. We should have gotten some sweet buns and drinks from the street vendors we saw earlier. We don't have to attend the parade coming after this."

Ino covered Neji's hand on her cheek with her own, "Ahhh…hehe. You may be right. But, really! I'm fine!" she continued brightly, pulling his hand down. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shikamaru approach. She turned to face the advancing near-naked _shinobi_.

"Shika-kun! Hehe..heard you got drafted!" She inwardly winced at the word. The others started clamoring for Shikamaru's attention.

"Oy! Shikamaru! Nice ass!" Kiba guffawed. Hinata was blushing and kept her head down facing the ground.

"You know Kiba, I'd have to agree with you," Tenten commented, her smile small and secretive. "Shikamaru, you should wear thongs more often and go to events that showcase those cheeks more."

Neji abruptly whirled to face Tenten and said sharply, "TENTEN! That is completely inappropriate!"

"What?", asked Tenten mockingly. "I'm not allowed to admire a wonderful specimen of manhood when it's right in front of me?" The pair continued to bicker. The rest teasingly taking potshots at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru ignored them all, his searing stare focused on Ino. He seemed unconscious of his bare state. "You look nice." he said quietly, inspecting her costume slowly. His hooded gaze taking in the jade ornaments in her hair, traveling down to her kimono. "Very nice."

"Huh…?" Ino started, her hackles rising. _How dare he stare at me like he's stripping-_

"Not so sure about your arm candy though. You don't match." he said abruptly. He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek where a moment ago Neji's hand was placed. His face tightened, his eyes narrowed.

"You're mine. Remember that." he announced in a low whisper. Without warning, his other hand grabbed her shoulder pulling her closer.

"Shika-!"

_Mmmnph!_

Shikamaru's lips closed over hers.

A roar of approval went up in the crowd around their little party. All of her friends fell silent, shocked stares directed at the kissing couple. Ino's eyes were wide open. Shikamaru's lips continued to move on hers, nibbling on her lower lip, grazing the seam of her lips with his tongue. She lifted both palms against his chest, ready to push him away. She didn't have to.

Just as abruptly, Shikamaru pulled away from her. Her wide eyes went past him to a couple of shinobi attendants laughingly dragging him back in line. Shikamaru was trying to put up a fight and got pelted with cold water all over his furious face. One of the shinobi gave her a wave, "Sorry about that! We'll try to keep better attention on him."

Ino lifted a hand to her face, touching her lips with her fingertips. _Sake. I can still taste it from where he kissed me._

"Well," Shino broke in. "I guess that's one more of our friends who should definitely keep away from alcohol."

The others laughed uncertainly, throwing worried looks at the stunned blonde kunoichi.

Sakura leaned in close and asked in a whisper, "Ino? You alright?"

Sakura took a quick peek at the Hyuga genius. His attention seem to be focused on Shikamaru's retreating back, a preoccupied look on his face. Tenten's comment about wishing it was her that received Shikamaru's attention drew the genius' frowning gaze back to the brunette. They resumed their bickering, Lee trying to interject, loudly asking why Shino was nodding at him meaningfully when he said that about Shikamaru. Team 8 were huddled together with Naruto, whispering furtively. Hinata was still blushing while the other guys were chuckling in an approving manner.

"Ino?" Sakura lightly shook her friend's shoulder.

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"What just happened?"

"Let's go get something to eat." Sakura looked at the rest of their group. "Oy! I'm taking Ino away for breakfast. We'll see you guys later. _Ja ne_!"

The two remaining women nodded sympathetically at Sakura. Tenten's expression holding a hint of satisfaction which Ino missed. The other guys just turned their attention back to the procession.

Neji stepped in front of Sakura, "Would you like me to accompany you?" Tenten went back to scowling.

Sakura looked up at Neji, "Erm…not really. This is women's business. If you get my drift." she said wryly. She peered behind him. "Thanks though. Better go keep Tenten and the others company."

Neji glanced behind him to the glowering brunette, his expression questioning. "What is it Tenten?"

Sakura towed the silent blonde with her, leaving the others behind still talking.

oOOo

"Sakura?"

"Yes, Ino?"

"Shikamaru kissed me."

"Yes, I saw." Sakura glanced at her friend, "So did the entire village." she muttered.

"He kissed me." Ino's expressing still looked startled. "He was seriously drunk."

"I guess so." Sakura said slowly.

"He probably didn't really understand what he was doing." Ino continued, a bit desperately. "He may have even mistook me for someone else. Right?" Then she frowned at that idea.

_Silence_.

"Sakura?"

Ino looked at her friend from across the small table. They were at a bakeshop. Sweet buns lay untouched in front of them, steaming hot tea in cups beside their plates.

"We-ell, as you know, alcohol can do a lot of damage to a human body," Sakura's medical background came to fore. "It can temporarily make you lose all inhibitions. Do things you'd never normally do-"

"Exactly!"

"Bu-uut, these actions are usually something the person _wants_ to do or has thought of doing and just never had the courage to follow through with, for one reason or another…"

"Sakura, Shikamaru is a friend. There is no freaking way-"

"Really?" Sakura interrupted. "Didn't you tell me about that time, not long ago, when you dropped by Shikamaru's house and-"

"Nothing happened!" Ino protested loudly. "And we patched things up. As friends!" she finished, her voice dangerously squeaky. She glanced around furtively, but the bakery was empty of patrons save for the both of them. It was already past 11AM and most people were outside strolling through the numerous stalls set up for the festival. The cashier was engrossed in a Icha Icha novel and didn't take notice.

"Judging from what happened today, I don't think that's the case." Sakura slouched in her chair, her cup held close to her chest. She looked incongruous in her _kimono_.

"You can't be serious? Shika-kun is a friend! A buddy! A childhood playmate! We've known each other for years!" Ino's voice was getting high again.

Sakura impatiently fluttered her hand in front of Ino. "Well, there's no other way to resolve this Ino. Protesting this to death won't change what happened. You should go talk to him as soon as possible." Sakura paused, "Err…maybe wait until after he's sober."

"That idiot. After we've just patched things up too." Ino glared ar her plate. She picked up the sweet bun and started munching furiously. "I won't believe he'd do anything to sabotage our friendship. He must have been out of his mind.

That's it," Ino declared dramatically. "Shika-kun was temporarily insane. There's no other explanation."

"Mmn hmm." Sakura took a bite of her own sweet bun, looking at the still railing blonde curiously. _She sure is protesting too much. _Her ears perked up at a name mentioned.

"What do you think of Neji?" Sakura cut in casually. "He seems to be sweet on you or am I reading that wrong?"

Ino blushed furiously. "Oh, about that…"

Sakura's jaw dropped, "You're kidding me? Neji? That bloody cold bastard? _Really?"_

"He's actual very nice Sakura and he's not as indifferent as we thought. And…well…I haven't told you…we've been so busy training…and the festival preparations came up…"

"Spit it out Ino."

"Neji kissed me." Ino said quietly. "He brought me home after I had a misunderstanding with Shika-kun. He tried to cheer me up."

"By kissing you?" Sakura said incredulously, leaning forward.

"He didn't kiss me because of that." Ino replied softly. "He kind of hinted that he liked me. Then he kissed me. It was really nice. It was just that one time though. We've been keeping busy with training ever since."

"Well." Sakura exhaled gustily. She remained silent, her face pensive.

"I don't know Ino." Sakura finally said. "I think there's something going on with Shikamaru. He's usually pretty cool. He wouldn't act out of character, even drunk, if it wasn't something that was eating at him. Neji's an ok guy, if a bit formal. Watch out for Tenten, I don't think she likes it that Neji is showing an interest in you. Whatever choices you make, it looks pretty unavoidable that you'd be hurting someone's feelings here. Sorry Ino."

"Yeah," Ino sighed miserably. "I know."

oOOo

Shikamaru opened his eyes blearily. "Rise and shine good luck keeper!" A whiskery face was grinning down at him. Shikamaru lifted a hand to his head.

"Uuuhhgg…" He covered his face with his hand, shielding his eyes from the light above. "Did we really have to drink all that sake?" he spitted out through clenched teeth.

"Of course! It's part of the ritual! You did great! Even caused a merry uproar when you kissed that girl!"

"W-what?" Shikamaru shook his head."I-Itai..I shouldn't have done that." he muttered, grasping his head with both hands. He was still wearing only the _fundoshi_.

"Damn it. Where are my clothes? What time is it?" He swung his legs off the futon and sat up. His head started spinning again.

"Well, it's almost 2PM and your clothes are folded at the end of the futon. FYI, you're in the medical unit."

Now he recognized that smiling face. It belonged to a medical-nin he would often see around the palace. "Ginjo right? You're name is Ginjo Tenzen." Shikamaru reached for his folded clothes and pulled on his pants over the thong. _No way was he stripping here to change underpants. _He looked around him and found similarly dressed men groaning or puking over their beds. "Are all the participants here?"

"Why yes! To both your questions. We couldn't very well have 500 drunken men, some of them shinobi, running wild during the first day of the festival. As for my name, we were briefly introduced by the Godaime when we crossed paths mid-meeting with her. You have a really good memory." Ginjo took out a tablet from one of the many pockets on his uniform. "Here, this should help with the hangover."

"Thanks." Shikamaru took the white round pill and finished pulling on his jacket.

He recognized it as a combination antacid and RU-21, supposedly a sobering chemical that quickly enter the bloodstream and absorb all the alcohol to be passed safely as urine. Truly stinky urine, but there you go. He quickly swallowed the pill and glanced at his watch. _Damn. We still have training to do._

He glanced at the medical-nin, "So I guess the procession went well?"

"Pretty much. You caused a little ruckus near the end. But, it was no big deal. Certainly gave the crowd something more to cheer. Very sporting of you."

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously, already bending to put on his sandals.

"Like I said, when you kissed that girl you cause an uproar!"

_Kissed a girl?_ Shikamaru froze. _Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, shit._

"Everybody was cheering you on. A couple of the attendants had to pull you away from her. She didn't seem to mind. Was she your girlfriend?" Ginjo asked curiously. "Anyway, you still managed to walk up to the statue of the Sage in a "straight" path and touch it before you fell over and passed out. A good number of the men you see here already tried and failed before you. Hahaha! Hey, you okay?"

Shikamaru hurriedly finished securing his sandals. "I've got to go. Ja ne."

His mind was already anxiously trying to piece his fractured morning together. He dimly remembered walking in the procession. All that alcohol making him work at focusing on every step he took. A bunch of his friends hollering and cat calling. Ino in a blue _kimono_. _So cute._ But with that Hyuga hovering around her again. He saw Neji hold Ino's cheek. Her smile directed adoringly at the tall genius. His sudden rage. Breaking away from the line. Coming up to Ino. Talking to her.

_You're mine. Remember that._

Grabbing her. Kissing her.

_Oh fuck. _He rubbed a hand over his face roughly. His pace increased, his shoulders tight with anxiety.

* * *

**First day of the festival is far from over. I just realized this is my longest chapter yet. Stay tuned. I'm feverishly working on the next chapter.**


	7. Konohagakure Festival: Kabuki Revelation

_**AN:** Thank you to Quintessence of Gold, indigo yamanaka, Wings-chan, maxridelover, EmoPrincess21, PeaceForEternity, and anonymous reviewer, I think I got everybody. A big shoutout to Quintessend of Gold. You totally surprised me with a review not one hour after I updated. Thanks!_

_Some of you gave me the idea to expand on the TentenxNeji arc and I think it will satisfy a lot of curiosity to get the pov of these two. This is the second half of day 1 of the Konoha Festival. Hope you like!_

* * *

"Stop scolding. What do you care, anyway?" scoffed Tenten.

Neji frowned. "You're acting peculiar. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm merely interested in the guy."

"Nara Shikamaru? Don't be foolish." Neji said dismissively.

"Sure why not. He's hot especially when he's tipsy. Lucky Ino, wish it was me he locked lips with."

"Tenten." Neji said warningly.

"What? Any girl can see he's a catch. Besides, it is the festival. A great opportunity to let loose, don't you think?" she raised her eyebrow at the Hyuga genius, a small smile playing at her lips. "Oh look, more shinobi in _fundoshi_." she breathed, her eyes gleaming.

_Ino…_Neji's frown increased. _She's with Sakura. Save it for later, Tenten first._ He raised a hand, hesitated and watched Tenten step forward closer to the edge of the street. Already, she was fluttering a hand coquettishly at another stripped down shinobi with reddish brown hair.

"I thought you're into Shikamaru." he rebuked.

"Anybody really!" Tenten answered carelessly. "I just want to hook up with someone who looks like they're good in the sack." Tenten was suddenly broken out of her avid sightseeing. "Hey! Let go!"

"You and I have something to discuss." Neji said tightly. "Excuse us everyone." he nodded to the rest of their friends already half dragging half carrying Tenten away. Behind him, he could here murmurs from the others about the number of surprise events so early in the festivities. Lee's protest died at a look from Neji.

Tenten continued to struggle and nearly fell down in her leg binding kimono. The Hyuga shinobi stopped and righted her. "Are you going to go quietly or do I have to carry you?"

Tenten mulishly nodded her head in assent. "I'll go."

They walked in silence.

"So, what is really bothering you?"

"Oh, not that again." she rolled her eyes and looked away to the distance. "Nothing is bothering me so will you quit it? I just like looking at eye candy. Especially when they're showing so much of it."

Neji looked at her disapprovingly. "…and the 'hooking up' part?" he eyed her coldy.

"I was exaggerating." her mouth forming a sulky moue. "But even if I wasn't, it's none of your business."

Neji wanted to shake the kunoichi by the shoulders. He was getting very irritated. "You're my friend and teammate. I know you. Wanton behavior is _not_ normal for you. Again, what's wrong?"

Tenten exhaled resignedly. "Neji, if you have to ask, there's no point talking about it."

Neji lifted a sardonic brow. "Am I suppose to read your mind?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Like you said, we've known each other for years! If you know me so well, go figure it out." she started tottering back the way they came, acutely feeling the lack of any action to stop her departure. _Idiot boy! How can he be blind after everything we've been through! Short of putting myself out there wasn't it obvious I like him? _she raged inwardly. Being a big tomboy she didn't realize her version of flirting was more obnoxious bullying. She proceeded to gingerly inch her way forward.

Neji slowly followed her back, his face inscrutable. "Let me help you." Neji put his hand on her elbow.

She sharply pulled away, shooting a warning glance at the tall shinobi. "Don't."

They continued walking, the sounds of their friends talking drifting toward them.

"I never got to finish what I was saying earlier." Neji kept his gaze straight ahead. "You look beautiful in your kimono." he said gruffly.

She looked at him suspiciously, "Uh…thanks." Tenten glanced away. "Don't get your panties in a wad. I'm perfectly ok. Chalk it up to a girl's sex hormones getting the better of her."

She heard choking sounds behind her, "TENTEN!"

"Yeah, yeah, TMI. Stop pestering if you don't want to choke some more." Tenten waved at their friends. "What's happened? Is the procession over?"

The guys nodded. Hinata head swiveled between her and her cousin.

"They've all gone into the shrine. Ano.." Hinata murmured. "We were thinking of visiting the stalls after the parade. There's also going to be a kabuki play near the center tent. Some foreign traveling troupe is in town and they're performing the history of the founding of Konohagakure."

"I want to get some food!" Naruto announced. Lee and Kiba simultaneously put in their assent to his suggestion.

Shino shrugged. "I'm not that hungry. Hinata, I can accompany you if you want to check out the shops."

"What about you my dear teammates?" Lee asked eagerly. "Will you partake of the many sure-to-be splendiferous offers at the market stalls and food vendors or will you enjoy some relaxation basking in the performance of a our colorful and victorious history?"

Tenten closed in on Hinata, "I'll go with you Hinata. I want to check and see if there's any good kunai made outside the village." Tenten linked arms with the pale brunette and poked Shino with her free hand. "Come on bug boy, you can be our escort."

Neji turned to watch the trio walk away. "I should check on Ino." He turned to Naruto. "Do you know where Sakura would have taken her?"

"I dunno. If it's breakfast they're getting, she usually grabs a pastry from the bakery. If not, maybe Ichiraku's?" Naruto shrugged. "Why do you have to check on Ino? It's not like you're dating her. Feeling the need to mark your territory after that smooch from Shikamaru, eh?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Neji stared at him indifferently, not responding to the bait. He began to start in the direction of the market.

"Oy! Does that mean you _are_ going out with her?" Naruto yelled out. Kiba was howling in laughter beside him.

Lee's eyes went wide. "Neji-san! Wait up," he hurried up to Neji. "My friend, is what Naruto-kun suggesting true? You are courting Ino-san?" he laid a restraining hand on Neji's arm. The Hyuga halted.

They heard the pair left behind making their way in the opposite direction. "If you want to catch up to us we'll be trying out some tempura at the food stalls." Kiba called out.

Lee quickly looked behind him and nodded his head. "Hai. I'll look for you later."

"Neji-san," Lee turned back to Neji. "are you?"

Neji looked at his friend. He rarely spoke of anything personal with just anybody, but this was Lee. They may have started on rocky ground during their training days with Gai Sensei but in the years since he has come to respect his teammate and appreciate the friendly bond that has grown between them. "I'm not sure. Come, let's continue walking."

Girls in sight were sighing left and right as they passed and not just at the Hyuga heir. Lee was getting his share of rapt gazes. In his dark kimono with his militarilistic posture, he looked just as dashing as the long-haired heartthrob.

"I have been training with Ino Yamanaka by order of Kage, you know this." Neji glanced at Lee inquiringly.

Lee nodded.

"While training, I've gotten to know her better. She…" Neji trailed off. "It is a surprise…how she got me to open up and…and share so many things with her. She is…unique."

"Um…? Then why…earlier with Tenten…?" Lee looked at him in confusion, his usual flowery speech deserting him. "I thought you like Tenten."

A look of unease passed Neji's face. "Tenten is a friend…" He paused and considered his words. She is his friend. But, when he first saw her today looking so beautiful and so feminine he remembered the surge of a foreign hunger roused inside him. That memory disturbed him. He had never seen Tenten anything more than just a teammate. But today, he had to revise his opinion and finally acknowledge that Tenten was a female, a very pretty woman, despite all her boyish interests. Now she's giving the impression that she fully intends to explore that unknown side to her. Recalling her flirtations with Shikamaru got him irritated again. _Is she truly interested in the shadow nin? Or, as she said, any man who'll fulfill her desires?_ A tick started to beat a tattoo on his forehead.

The two friends continued walking in silence. One keeping his curious questions to himself, the other buried in a dark cloud of unfamiliar conflicting feelings.

oOOo

_Step. Step. Step. Step._

The corridors of the palace yawned ahead. A lone shinobi came into view. His head was down, his loose hair swinging against his neck hiding his face.

A door suddenly opened and a blonde kunoicki stepped out and collided with the shinobi.

_Oomph._

"Oy!" Temari held on to the other man's shoulder, pushing him away, "Watch where you're going, will you?" she said, her expression irritated. Her face cleared when she took another look at the guy in front of her.

"Shikamaru? Oh, hey. Are you going to the grounds below the palace?" Temari inquired. "The others should already be there."

_Silence_.

"Yo. Shika? You listening?" she snapped her fingers in front of the nin.

Peering behind him, she was familiar enough with the layout of the palace to recognize that the silent shinobi probably came from the medical unit.

"What happened? You got hurt or something?" she gave him a little shake. " What's with you?"

Shikamaru raised his gaze to look into Temari's concerned face. He had been walking blindly. His mind perusing and discarding one idea after another. _Ino will probably punch me as soon as she sees me or start yelling the house down or god forbid, cry. What possessed him to behave like that with her? _He had drunk alcohol before, stronger than the sake they were forced to imbibe earlier_. _Even sloshed out of his skull, he always maintained his cool. But earlier, remembering his sudden fury at seeing Neji holding her, his usual calm completely deserted him. It took all of his somewhat tenuous control to restrain himself from launching after the genius Hyuga's throat.

"Temari." he pushed her hand aside. "Have you seen Ino?"

"Ahh..." the Sand nin looked at him consideringly. "So something did happen. What'd I miss?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" he laughed darkly. "I'd have thought it would have spread by now. Practically the entire village was there to see me make a fool of myself."

"Eh? Is this something to do with the racket I heard earlier from outside?" she asked. "I could hear the crowd even from the Godaime's office." she gestured behind her. "I've been waiting for her since this morning but I was told she had to attend some ceremony for the festival. We just finished our meeting."

"I was sort of volunteered into participating." he said grimly. "Couldn't really refuse. The Godaime ordered around sixty of us to join as supplicants; all the shinobi she could find who hadn't made plans for the festival. Mendokuse." he scowled.

Temari burst out laughing. "The _Hadaka _festival. You were there? Are you still wearing the _fundoshi?" _she reached threateningly for his waistband. "Let me see."

Shikamaru slapped her hands away. "Hey!"

Temari roared with laughter.

A door banged open and the pair both jerked at the sound.

"I'm trying to work here!" another blonde nin stepped out of the room behind Temari. "What's with all the noise?"

Temari hurriedly straightened while Shikamaru turned to face the glowering Hokage with an impassive face. "Godaime." he said tightly.

"Ah, my good luck keeper! How's the head Shikamaru?" the Hokage said calmly, grinning.

"Hurting." he replied, his impassive facade briefly broken to scowl at his Kage. _Thanks to you._

"Phshaw! Stop sulking. You were great! We needed some shinobi to participate, otherwise it would have taken the entire day before any of the civilians got it right."

"Now, I take it you're on your way to train your team?" The Godaime lifted a brow.

"Uh…actually..."

"May I remind you, how extremely critical this mission is. We must succeed." The Kage said emphatically, her face turning stern.

Shikamaru nodded curtly, quickly followed by Temari. "We'll head to the training grounds now, Godaime. Sorry for bothering you." she nudged Shikamaru.

Both gave a quick bow, waited for the Kage to give them leave and proceeded to take the stairs in the next corner at a brisk pace. As soon as they were out of earshot, Temari started snickering. "Good luck keeper? So it was you who made the 'straight' pass. So what did you do to cause such a racket? You can't have flashed anyone more than you already have just wearing a thong. Or did you?"

"Shut up." he glowered.

They headed to the basement, Temari goading Shikamaru the entire way. When the finally reached the training grounds the rest of their team were already doing practice sparring. As soon as the guys saw Shikamaru, they lit in on him, ribbing him unmercifully. Temari laughed even harder after she finally found out why Shikamaru was in such a bad mood. Naruto further pushed his buttons mentioning that Neji was dating Ino. It wasn't long before Shikamaru lost his famous calm once again and retaliated by making the team go through one of the most brutal practices they've ever had. The entire time, Sakura kept mum, eyeing the shadow nin consideringly. That made Shikamaru uneasy. As soon as they were done he made his way up to Sakura.

"Hey, Sakura…do you know where Ino is?" _Sakura is probably the best person to ask. She and Ino were close friends after all and Ino did say she was staying with Sakura for the festival. They must have talked after he…left earlier._

The rest of the team were slowly making their way to the shower rooms, dripping sweat and painful grimaces on their faces. Even Temari shot him a dark look before taking her towel and leaving.

Sakura folded her arms across her chest, "Yeah, but first tell me why you did that earlier."

"I don't have to tell you. It's Ino I should be explaining to." he said defensively.

"Yeah, well, Ino isn't here and as her best bud, I gotta watch out for her best interest. Which means, you explain to me first."

"I was wasted." he finally muttered, not looking her in the eye. "Is she okay?"

"Wasted." Sakura stated skeptically. "I can't accept alcohol was the sole reason for that display. There must be more to it."

"It's none of your business Sakura." Shimakaru muttered, burying his hands into his pockets. "Let it go. Where is she?"

Sakura ignored his words. She cocked her head and eyed him appraisingly, "Shika, do you love Ino?" Sakura asked bluntly.

_Silence._

Shikamaru stood dumbstruck. The color slowly drained from his face.

"You do don't you?" Sakura asked gazing at him wonderingly.

"Ah…I-I…" He squeezed his eyes shut and raised his hands as if to claw the air. Slowly his hands curled and fell to his sides, "I-I do. I love Ino." his head dropped, "So much it's driving me up the wall." he stated with finality.

"Oh, Shikamaru. You…" Sakura murmured softly. She raised a finger and gently flicked his forehead. "…BAKAYARO." _Crash._

She glared down at him where he landed after her stunning blow of chakra. "Nara Shikamaru, you are supposed to be a master of strategy. How could you bungle this so badly?"

Sakura walked over to Shikamaru and crouched beside him until they were eye level. "She's probably still with the others." she shook a finger at the shadow inn. "Ino and I talked about what happened earlier. She's pretty confused right now. When we met up with the guys after we talked they said they were gonna watch a kabuki play near the big tent. The play should still be going on. Go to her."

Sakura bounced back to her feet and wiped her hands. "Who'd have thought such a lazy guy could be driven to such intense actions?" She was smiling at him, "I like you Shikamaru and I think you and Ino would be good for each other." Sakura turned and sauntered away. "Better take care how you deal with this. You have some hefty competition facing you. Ja ne." She grabbed a towel from the pile sitting in a bench beside the doorway to the shower stalls and went through the door.

Shikamaru sat on the cool ground in stunned silence. Slowly he shook his head, a low chuckle making its way to his throat. Sakura was right. He should have handled this better. If he'd been more frank with himself and properly examined his feelings for Ino, he would have known early on that he'd never be able to bury them away. The only recourse was to make Ino his, solely and irrevocably. He should have spent his time planning out how to persuade her to see reason rather than dawdled about their friends-only status quo. Of course, now he just had to make Ino fall as hard as he did for her. There was still Nejo to consider though. That must be what Sakura meant by competition.

He pushed himself up and dusted his pants off. He strode out towards the shower room, his step light. _First, I've got to get this stink off of me. _His laziness may be legendary but when pushed to action, his determination to succeed has rarely failed him. All those past missions he'd had to lead has honed more than just strategy skills. Hyuga Neji will just have to step aside or he'll make him step aside. Ino was his.

oOOo

The troupe was taking a break. Apparently, one of the main actors sprained his ankle during a battle scene and now the theater manager was frantically looking for a stand in. Lee immediately volunteered spouting drivel about patriotism and how the show must go on. The manager was so grateful he was nearly crying. With such a popular epic story the newly built amphitheater was filled to bursting. People were milling around exchanging opinions about the fourth act and how fierce the fight scenes were conducted while they waited for the troupe to ready themselves for the fifth and last act.

Ino fanned herself with her thin program.

"Enjoying the _jidaimono_?" she jerked at the breath of air that blew on her neck. She looked up behind her to see Neji leaning forward gazing at her intently.

"It's alright." she answered reluctantly. She increased fanning herself vigorously. "It was certainly realistic how the actor portraying the younger son of the Sage was yelling in pain in the middle of his fight."

"Ino, what happened with Shikamaru-"

"I'd rather not talk about it." she interrupted quickly.

Neji continued to gaze at her in concern. He glanced to where Tenten was engrossed in conversation with a merchant apprentice showing her a foreign-made kunai. "Hmnn...I seem to be hearing that a lot today."

"Oh?" Ino laughed nervously. "It's been a trying day I guess."

"Since we missed the parade, I would be happy to accompany you browse through the merchant stalls later tonight. I hear there are a lot of novel items are for sale."

She faced him in surprise. "Shopping? You'd go shopping with me?"

"If that's what you'd like." Neji said simply.

Before she could answer the head usher was announcing for the patrons to take their seats. The show was about to resume. They made their way to their row and soon got settled down with the rest of their friends. For some reason, Tenten didn't like her seat. The seat in question put her on the other side of Neji and she caused a minor ruckus insisting Kiba switch seats with her. The outdoor lights were dimmed and the curtain raised. A spotlight shown on the bent head of a dark-haired shinobi in the attire of the Senju clan. Lee's head shot upward and he looked out at the crowd with a piercing stare.

"HOOOOOUUUII!"

Lee strode to the _hanamichi_, a long walkway that extended into the audience. His exaggerated walk and flowing arm movements were in tempo with the music coming from the orchestra in the lower blacony. The actor portraying Madara Uchiha appeared from a trapdoor at the other end of the walkway and also made his way in an even more exaggerated walk towards Lee. Both men had fierce _kumadori_ make up on their faces. The beat rose to a crescendo and the two actors struck a pose, on stage their two battle forces quickly ran up to form one solid front and behind them rose a miniature float representing the village of Konoha.

The play ended with a loud cheer from the audience with some shedding tears. On the edge of the stage, partly hidden by the curtains, the manager collapsed in nervous relief. A couple of stage hands rushed to catch him as he fell.

Ino jumped to her feet with the rest of the people in her row and clapped. The actor with the sprained ankle limped on stage with the support of a fellow thespian. The troupe took their bows with Lee in between the main leads a huge smile on his face. His part was short but was critical to the last act. Everyone on stage were grinning widely at the cheering crowd. A shower of confetti started to rain down on everyone in the amphitheater.

In the early evening light, the stars were barely shining through. The amphitheater was gradually emptying of people. Most of the crowd were heading back to the festival stalls where the night market was starting. The group decided to go backstage first to personally congratulate Lee on his short but highly visible role and then hit karaoke bars. On their way there they bumped into Shikamaru. Ino went rigid. The small group fell silent, everyone passing glances between Ino and Shikamaru. Neji took a step forward and put a hand on Ino's shoulder from behind.

Seconds passed. In the ensuing silence, Ino resignedly shooed her friends away while she mouthed to Neji that she'd be along shorty. The group slowly walked away, some teasing Shikamaru about his drunken behavior earlier that day. Neji was being pulled reluctantly away by Kiba. An air of discomfort immediately sprang between the two people left behind.

"Ino, I-" Shikamaru began.

Ino held up her hand, "Save it. You don't have to explain. I know why you did it."

He looked at her in confusion, "You do?"

"Yes. You got carried away. Stands to reason really, every guy there was probably in a reckless mood."

"That's not why-"

"There can't be any other reason Shika-kun." Ino interrupted tersely. "You're one of my best friends. You wouldn't do anything to wreck that, not after we fixed things up so recently. Let's just move on, ne?" Ino gazed at her friend pleading with her eyes for him to drop the subject.

He looked at her broodingly, "I didn't get carried away." Shikamaru took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "I've wanted to kiss you since that night at my house."

Ino stared at him in shock. Around the couple the milling crowd jostled them, people laughing and shouting about the long kabuki play and making plans for the rest of the night. Ino and Shikamaru ignored the ebb and flow of people, encased in their own bubble of drama.

Shikamaru stepped closer, "Why can't we be more?" he asked softly.

Ino looked at him askance, "B-because. We can't."

"Why not?"

"It would ruin everything!"

"How? I know I'm courting trouble and I hate troublesome situations. Yet, I can't stop myself from thinking about you. Why can't we, Ino?"

Ino shook her head in denial. "I've got to go." she said curtly. _Her heart was pounding._ Ino started to walk away. She only took a few steps from him when she heard him speak in a low voice.

"Is it because of Neji?"

She stood motionless.

"If it was, will you stop this?" she asked in a whisper. _Please let it go._

"No."

She whirled around to face him. Shikamaru gazed back at her calmly. The dim light behind him cast shadows across his face.

"I'll say it again." He closed the gap between them and gently cupped her cheeks. Slowly he bent his head until their lips were barely brushing.

You. Are. Mine."

Shikamaru kissed her for the second time. And this time, she couldn't stop herself from kissing him back. _It was exhilarating._

* * *

**There you go. First day of Konoha Festival with two more to follow. Though, I think the pacing is too quick. Is it too fast? Advice, cheers, or flames all welcome. As always, reviews are much appreciated.**

**Please review. :) **


	8. Konoha Festival Day 2: Sportsfest

_**AN:** It took me awhile to update. Got caught up with a couple of art exhibits I was handling. Thanks so much to bulamani, Flaming Beauty, random ino and shikamaru lover, Cholette DiMarionette, mdtiger, HoPe290, EmoPrincess21 and to the anonymous reviewer, I get what you mean but I kinda like how it's laid it right out. I might edit this story in the future. God knows it need a lot of it. Right now, I'm pretty much writing on the fly._

_This is part one of the 2nd day of the Konoha Festival. I've decided to divide each festival day into two chapters since a lot of stuff happens with so many of the characters in play. I was seriously thinking of rewriting the previous chapter but in the end, I felt what's done is done. Right? Riiight?_

_I really wanted to wrap this fic in May but I'm still having too much fun writing this story. It's a shame to rush it._

_Or I could just be lazy. ;P_

* * *

_You are mine._

Ino stared out the window. The moon shone down on her lying on a bed bunk below Sakura's bed. The clock on the table showed 3:00 am. It had been a couple of hours since they returned from the club where their friends spent the rest of the night singing karaoke.

"Wanna talk about it?" Sakura voice drifted in the silent air.

Ino sat up. "I'm heading out."

"Mmm..kay. Take care, alright?"

"Yeah."

Ino quickly changed into a loose shift and tights that cut off at the shins. She quietly closed the door behind her and went down to the foyer. While putting on her sandals she spied Sakura's practice weapons lying on a shelf below the mirror. She quickly stuffed a couple of kunai and a few shuriken into her belt pouch.

The streets were quiet with a few street lanterns and the moon providing light to the path. Ino slowly made her way to the practice grounds of the academy. Upon reaching the field, she headed for the track and broke out in a run. She held out her arms straight behind her and bent her body lower. The air swirled around her, the light breeze blowing her hair loose, letting it stream behind her like a flag. She ran faster, and faster. Her lungs began to burn and her breath started coming out in gasps.

A target dummy was on the horizon. She jumped high into the air and threw a kunai blade with violent precision. Cloth stuffing exploded into the air. She took out three shuriken and threw them in quick succession at the cloth batting, slicing them cleanly mid-air. She twisted and came down hard on a log standing upright in the field. Four more logs stood in a semi circle around her. She punched the one in front of her, twisted to the left and smashed her elbow on another log. Another twist and her right leg came up and gave a powerful kick to another target. On and on it went. She spun like a tornado, kicking and hitting the wooden targets around her with a fury, her blonde hair flying around her like a halo. From a distance, she looked liked an ethereal being. Alien and dangerous.

After a while, she stopped. Her hair swirled and fell in a cloud to cling to her face and body.

Ino stood heaving. Her arms on her sides already showed scratches and signs of bruising. She looked up at the glowing night sky, her eyes glassy with tears she refused to let fall. Slowly, she lifted a bruised hand to touch her shadow lying on the wood in front of her.

_Why is it so hard? Why am I so confused?_

o00o

_Flashback:_

_"S-stop. Stop." Ino broke away from the kiss and pushed against Shikamaru's shoulders._

_"This is wrong." Ino looked up at Shikamaru. Seeing his parted lips, she reddened and looked away. She took away her hands from his shoulders and backed away. His hands fell from her waist._

_"I just started…seeing Neji. You. You and I…we-we're supposed to be friends. I don't know why…but…this is wrong." _

_Shikamaru stepped forward. _

_"Ino..."_

_"God! Can't you just let it go?" she burst out. "It's weird. It feels wrong. I don't want this, I HATE it! What don't you understand?"_

_Ino gazed blindly at the ground where Shikamaru's shadow was visible. Her body stood rigid, her shoulders hunching in reflex. Her nails were digging so hard into her palms soon she'd draw blood. She waited for him to say something. Anything._

…

…

…

_Finally,_

_"I get it. Sorry."_

_"I won't bother you anymore."_

_She watched his shadow move, lengthening as Shikamaru walked away and finally it disappeared from view._

o00o

"I think this is okay."

This time, Sakura was helping Ino tie her obe. The pair were standing once again in front of the foyer mirror doing last minute preparations. Unlike the day before, today they both wore a cotton yukata, a more casual kimono that allowed them to move more freely than the restricting silk of yesterday.

Sakura peered beyond Ino's shoulder to look at their reflection. Their eyes met in the mirror, "Your eyes are puffy."

Ino lowered her gaze.

"I'll get some ice. We still have some time." Sakura started to lift her yukata.

"Leave it. It's fine." Ino took out some cream concealer from her cosmetic bag and started dabbing it on the skin below her eyes.

"There!" Ino practiced a smile. "We should go meet the others. What's happening today again?"

"Uh..games and activity stalls, elimination rounds for the sports fest aaannd…a lantern masquerade?" Sakura was looking down at a flyer that had been disseminated around town detailing the events that would be happening for each day of the festival.

"I think I'll enter the sports fest." Ino tucked a curve of blonde hair behind an ear, leaned closer to the mirror and inspected her eyebrows.

"Nah…the masquerade tonight would be more fun." Sakura made a moue at the mirror and covered the upper half of her face with her paper fan, her eyes showing through the divided slats. "We should get some masks at the shopping district later. Something a little flirty."

They giggled, looped their arms and stepped out of the house, both blatantly pretending nothing was amiss. After all, that's what best friends are for.

o00o

Ino and Sakura where approaching the entrance of the activity stalls where they found the rest of their group waiting. Most of their friends were dressed in hakama save for Hinata who was once again decked out in a silk furisode. Tenten was dressed in a red and white hakama, looking so much like her typical day uniform except her hair was loosely clipped to the base of her neck and not in its usual buns.

"Ohayou Sakura-chan! Ohayou Ino!" Naruto called out, waving energetically at them.

"Hi guys!" Ino called out cheerily. Sakura lifted a hand in acknowledgement to Naruto.

Neji approached Ino, "Ino-san, are you okay? You look a bit wan."

"Whaaaa? Neji! You don't say such things to a girl! Enough with the honorifics too. I'm no old lady." Ino poked Neji in the shoulder. "When a girl's in a kimono, all you should say is how pretty she looks."

"Ano…maybe what Neji-san meant is you are looking delicate. Like a fragile flower?" Hinata pressed her index fingers together, looking up at her cousin with a half smile, her cheeks stained pink.

"Awww…you are so sweet Hinata." Ino came up to the pale brunette and gave her a quick hug.

"Yo! Ino! What happened between you and Shi - " Kiba lower face was suddenly swarmed with bugs. "Mnnnnff! Gerroff! Ge'emmooff!" The bugs receded as quickly as they descended.

"What's the big deal Shino?" Kiba made gagging noises. "That was gross!"

"Your big mouth. That's what." Shino pressed his dark glasses back up his nose.

An awkward silence fell. It was telling that the only missing member of their group again was the shadow nin. After Ino and Shikamaru's altercation at the theater, the group behaved like they were treading on broken glass for the rest of the night. They didn't know what happened but it was still apparent that the two friends were having problems. Only the dim and noisy karaoke club prevented the outpouring of questions from the others. That and Sakura's warning glare every time someone attempted to bring it up.

"I'm starved." Tenten announced. "Anybody interested in getting some grub? Come on, those rice balls look yummy."

Ino threw a grateful glance at the weapons mistress which Tenten acknowledged grudgingly with a curt nod.

"Come on Neji, let's get some _onigiri_. I want the ones with salmon." Tenten grabbed Neji by the arm and started pulling him to a food stall piled high with rice balls.

"You too Lee." She slung her free arm over the bushy-browed nin's shoulders and pulled her team over to the food stalls. Neji glanced back at Ino, his lips quirking upward, completely missing the frown Tenten threw his way.

The rest of their group tailed them, with Ino walking in between Sakura and Hinata, laughing lightly. "I think I'll pass. Gotta watch my diet, you know."

"Oh, but Ino-san you are already so slim and pretty. I don't think you need to restrict yourself so." Hinata exclaimed.

Sakura flicked her hand in the air dismissively, "Don't mind Ino, Hinata. Ino says she's joining the sports fest later. I'm sure she'll eat something if only to keep her strength up. Riiight?" Sakura lifted an eyebrow, "Unless, you're in favor of collapsing like a damsel in distress in the middle of the fight?"

"Ooooh..so sly Sakura." Ino said sarcastically. "Fine, I'll get one rice ball."

The trio had reached the food stall where everyone was picking out their breakfast. Tenten was approaching the girls with three salmon onigiri in hand.

"You're joining the sports fest Ino-san? But most of the competitors are civilians." Hinata said. "I saw the list and there were very few shinobi who are participating."

"Hmmmn…that might be disappointing." Ino beetled her brows. "But the prize…I hear it's twenty five thousand ryo and a booking for two at a spa retreat! I don't mind winning that. Sign up is only a hundred ryo I hear."

"Well, how about we all enter too and give you some competition?" Tenten broke in. She took a bite at her rice ball and her expression suddenly became dreamy. "Mmmn…this is sooo good."

She chewed slowly, savoring the succulent flesh of the salmon. "Oh my god…this is seriously good." Her mouth parted in a pink bow and slowly closed over the rice ball, her lips pouting over the bits of rice before meeting together in a moist flush. She continued to chew in a languid fashion. She swallowed, tilting her neck a little. Her tongue made a slow pass over her upper lip moistening the plump flesh. Her eyes drifted half shut and a blush stained her cheeks.

"I LOVE salmon onigiri." she declared, opening her eyes.

_"Are?"_ All around her, everyone was staring, slack-jawed. "What? Do I have rice on my face or something?"

"T-that should be illegal!" Kiba choked out, his face beet red. The rest of the guys nodded their heads in unison, except for Shino and Neji who stood stock still like living statues.

Tenten glanced at Neji. _Huh? His face is all flushed. And where is he looking at?_

(Neji's eyes were directed at her lips.)

Tenten looked at the rice balls still in her hands. _Hmmn…_She slowly raised an onigiri, parted her lips and mouthed the rice ball. Everyone blushed again. Even the girls. _Oh…_

She chewed thoughtfully. She held out her last rice ball to Neji. "Want one?"

Neji's eyes widened, his face turning rosy all the way to his hairline. "W-what?"

"Do you want this?" Tenten slowly licked her lips clean. Neji's eyes followed her tongue's progress. She opened her mouth to take another bite of her half eaten rice ball, still holding out her third one to Neji.

"Uh-uhh.."

_Whoa. Even his ears are turning red._

_Gnunck. _

"Aaack! Naruto! Let go of my hand!" Tenten started waving her arm with Naruto still attached at the end.

Naruto suddenly pulled free with a wet pop. Lee's still-blushing face was behind Naruto from where he had pulled the blonde nin off. He immediately started lecturing Naruto on the proper etiquette of asking for food. He was pulled up short when Sakura loomed over them and yelled out Naruto's name before pelting him over the head with her fist.

"I was hungry! And Tenten-chan was eating the rice ball like it was really, really tasty! Sakura-chaaaan! Ow! Ow! Ooowww!"

The suspense was broken.

Tenten was busy flicking her wrist back and forth trying to get rid of Naruto's saliva. _Ick..Naruto…_she thought resignedly in amusement. Everyone else was back to eating their respective breakfast snacks with a couple of the boys giving occasional furtive looks at Tenten. The rest quickly picked out their own rice balls and paid for them.

"Here."

A pristine handkerchief was presented to her. She looked past the extended arm up to Neji's face. "Thanks."

She took hold of the handkerchief, poured a little water from the pitcher sitting at the food stall and wiped her hand clean. She gave a small bow to the vendor in thanks. He grinned at her in return, holding out an onigiri. "Another?"

"Thanks, no. I think I'm all good." she said wryly. She turned to find Neji still looking at her.

"That Naruto." she laughed. "He could have just asked for it. So typical."

"Don't be so carefree. You shouldn't invite that kind of attention." Neji said stiffly.

"Eh?" Tenten looked at him, "I was eating a rice ball, Neji."

"It looked more than that. You were being provocative."

"Oh, stop." Tenten lifted her wrist to her forehead dramatically. "You're making me blush."

Neji stared at her coolly. "You were doing it on purpose."

"I was not." she objected. _Yeah, I was_. "I just really like salmon rice balls. And sesame dumplings. And chinese food!

Not my fault you guys have green minds. _You _looked like you had a fever." she snickered.

She heard a choking sound behind her. She peeked over her shoulder and saw Neji tugging unconsciously at the neckline of his hakama. She patted her lips with a clean edge of the square cloth and then tucked the damp handkerchief into her pouch. "I'll wash this later and return it to you tomorrow."

"Hn. You can keep it."

"Huh?" she glanced at her teammate. "Er…thanks."

They walked in silence, pulling up last of their group. Tenten looked ahead of them where she saw Ino laughing with Sakura and Naruto.

"Hey. Are you-you and Ino-" she stumbled over her words. "Errm…I mean…. " she peeked at the tall shinobi. _He's turning red again_.

"Ah...I'd rather not talk about that." Neji said under his breath.

"Oh. Right." she gave a mock salute. "None of my business."

She kept her gaze resolutely forward and walked faster. She could feel his questioning stare like a brand on her neck.

…

…

...

"It's difficult to explain."

"Uh-huh." _Why did I even ask him? I'm no masochist!_

"It's gotten somewhat complicated."

"You mean with Shikamaru in the picture?" she snorted. "You can say that." _Neji must really like Ino to worry so. _Tenten thought glumly.

Neji looked at her in surprise. "No, actually. I didn't mean Nara."

"Are you _that_ confident?" Tenten gaped at him, "Wow. What an ego, Neji. Never knew you had it in you."

"You're doing it again."

"Eh..hehe. Sorry." Tenten scratched her neck. "So." She blew out her cheeks. "It's something else?

Or maybe, it's someone else, eh?" she joked.

She turned to look at him to find Neji looking at her with a pensive expression. _What's with that face? Is he blushing again?_

She stopped and faced him. They stood looking at each other. Tenten could feel her face heating up the longer they stood there. _When I teased him just now…could it be-_

"Never mind." he finally sighed. "We should pick up our pace. Everyone's at the tournament booth already."

Tenten turned to watch him go and join their friends. She saw him go up to Ino and speak to her. "Right."

_Dummy. He already likes Ino._

o00o

"What's this? We're fighting against each other?" Ino was squinting at the last two names posted. They were the last pair of the remaining participants who won and were being paired up for the last elimination challenge.

"Haha! I did say I'll give you some competition." Tenten chuckled tensely. She twisted her neck muscles, easing the stiff joints.

They had been fighting in the tournament since that morning. All the combatants got to change into sparring clothes in a couple of tents set up beside the tournament booth. One for girls and the other for boys. Their friends weren't interested in entering and had gone around playing with the activity games in other stalls. The tourney's booth was set up next to a dusty field at least 50 meters all around with a rope enclosing the boundary. Pennants stood on four ends of the circle with the tournament's symbol branded on the flags. Selection for combatants was random and they've already gone through quite a few fights to reach the final elimination round. As expected most of the shinobi entrants were topping the last elimination challenge for the day.

"Ohhh..my arms are killing me." Ino moaned. She splayed her legs, twisted her torso and stretched her arms high. "Itaaaaiii."

"Speaking of, when we were changing earlier I noticed your arms were full of scratches and some bruises. They looked pretty recent." Tenten lifted a questioning brow. "Got into a fight recently?"

"Ah…" Ino laughed. "Just did some practicing yesterday." she twisted again and stretched in the opposite direction.

"Yesterday? We finished at the bar pretty late. Are you saying you were training early this morning?" Tenten said incredulously. She was bent over in a stretch as well.

"Oh, right. I meant this morning." Ino shrugged. "I was restless."

Ino bounced up to a standing position, "Well, good luck. We're up next." she began walking to the center of the field.

_How I'd love to call her a bitch. _Tenten sighed. She straightened up. _I can't really be mad at her. It would be unfair. _She raised a fist. _I can legitimately kick her ass though. This should be easy. _With an evil grin, Tenten strode after the blonde nin.

o00o

"Guys, come on! It looks like Ino and Tenten are fighting." Naruto hollered. He dashed through an opening in the crowd to the end of the boundary line of the sparring field.

"Wow. They're really going at it." commented Kiba, squeezing beside Naruto.

Hinata peered from behind him, one had placed hesitantly on Kiba's shoulder. "I can't see."

"Here, let's switch places."

Hinata started in surprise when Kiba suddenly turned and took hold of her waist transferring her in front of him. Kiba settled his hands on her shoulders. "This better?" He smiled down knowingly at the pale brunette.

Hinata craned her neck backward, her bangs sliding to the sides of her face. She met Kiba's eyes and watched them slide to the right. Sh turned to see what he was looking at and found Naruto wedged in the small space with her, elbow to elbow. Sakura managed to find a spot on his other side with Neji and Lee standing closely behind her.

"Much." she blushed.

Shino leaned in close to Kiba, "What are you doing? I thought you like-"

_"Shut up."_ Kiba hissed through his teeth. He didn't want to risk being overheard. He raised his voice, "Oy! Neji! Check out the girls! Who are you gonna cheer then?"

Neji didn't answer. His attention was all for the two combatants furiously sparring.

_Dammit. When did this girl get so good at taijutsu?_ Tenten fumed inwardly. The sports fest only allowed taijutsu combat since it was open to all including civilians with no formal shinobi training. Already, fresh bruises were blooming on her arms where she had blocked the hits from the blonde kunoichi. Ino didn't look so good herself.

Ino took a quick glance at the direction of the boundary where Kiba's shout came from. _So, they're all here. _She saw Neji standing besides Sakura. _Thanks for the training Neji, it's paying off, big time._ she thought grimly. Tenten was a strong opponent. She had to end this quickly. Her early morning trek to the academy training grounds was catching up to her. She could feel exhaustion slowly dragging at her body.

A jump forward brought her close to Tenten, her arm already extended for a hit at the other girl's side. An elbow, quickly raised, blocked her target. _Ha!_ Ino twisted her arm free and took hold of Tenten's forearm. She grabbed Tenten's other arm as it rose to make a retaliatory hit. _Gotcha! _

Ino pulled on the other girl throwing her high and simultaneously jumping upward using her body weight to propel them higher into the air. She immediately let go and kicked Tenten in the middle with her left leg. As she continued her spiral she brought down her other leg for another hit at the girl. This time, Tenten caught her leg, preventing her from connecting with her target.

_I'm not done. _Ino used her captured leg to lift Tenten's arms high leaving the other girl's center wide open. She hit out with her elbow aiming for the center of the chest and finished with a hard punch with her other arm. Tenten's hands let go of her leg as her hits connected and the other girl fell with a thud to the ground. Ino jumped lightly backward and stood poised for an oncoming attack. Her breathing was becoming uneven. _Damn. She better stay down. I can't fight much anymore._

_Cough. Cough. _

Blood was seeping from Tenten's lips. Her face was scrunched up in a painful grimace. She tried to lift a hand to her chest only for it to fall limply back to her side.

Ino straightened. _What the…? Did I hit her that hard?_ She looked around for the referee and saw that he was doing the customary count to give the down combatant a chance to get up before announcing the winner. Finally,

_"Winner! Yamanaka Ino!" _

Ino grinned. _Alright! Spa and shopping money here we come!_ She gingerly made her way to the fallen kunoichi.

"Ei, Tenten. Good fight." She leaned over the other girl and smiled down at her.

"You-you used Lee's Front Lotus." Tenten cracked an eye open. "Neji taught you that?"

"Uhuh." Ino replied happily. "A variation of it, anyway."

"Bastard." Tenten closed her eyes again.

"Ahhh…that last blow really dug a hole, you know. A medic…right about now…would be nice." She coughed again. Blood splattered on her front.

"Are you serious?" Ino said. She took a step back and looked back at the referee. "Medic!"

There was a flurry of activity after that. Tenten was taken away to a first aid tent set up near the entrance of the activity stalls with Ino following on foot. After every fight all combatants got checked out by the first aid staff to make sure nobody sustained lasting injuries.

While Tenten was getting healed by a medic-nin Ino sat in the next cot divided by a curtain getting her arms anointed with a cool ointment that helped make her bruises subside and clear some of the deeper scratches. They had allowed her to make a quick wash up and change back into her yukata in the changing room before attending to her wounds. The medic started bandaging her arms while she listened to the briefing from the sports fest organizer about her status and the following day's final round.

"We'll be holding the second elimination rounds later this afternoon and the resulting winners will be this morning's winners' opponents for the final round. Haha! What a mouthful. Anyway, we had to divide the fights since the area we have is quite small and there were a lot of people who signed up. Congratulations on making the final cut!"

The organizer snapped his clipboard closed. He patted his pockets obviously looking for something. "Here you go! Coupons for the Dango Shop and Shushuya restaurant!" He held out the tickets to Ino.

"Ahh..thanks." Ino looked at the coupons dubiously. "Can't I trade these for boutique coupons instead? Or maybe the salon?"

"Now now, we had to prepare these prizes with no gender bias." The organizer shook a finger in front of her face. "I'm sure you have plenty of friends who'll enjoy having a free meal and sweets! You can run quite a tab on those tickets you know. See you tomorrow!"

Ino pulled at the curtain and looked over at Tenten. "Heard that? Wanna get some dango later? It's the least I can do."

Tenten chuckled tiredly. "Win tomorrow and take me to the spa instead. I think I need that more." She groaned clutching the sheets at her side.

"Please don't move around. You suffered some minor internal damage and your surface muscles are knitting themselves back together. I need you to hold steady and relax." said the medic-nin, her hands hovering above Tenten where chakra was concentrated over her chest. "After I'm done, you'll need to rest here for a while. You'll get to talk to your friend later."

The medic-nin nodded at Ino, indicating she should leave the tent. Ino gave a small bow to the medic who attended to her and a quick nod in Tenten's direction. "I'll go out now. Get some rest, I'll let the others know of your condition. Ja ne."

When she parted the tent flap, she found her friends waiting for her. Sakura, Lee and Neji were busy talking to the same organizer who spoke to her earlier.

"Are they both okay? Why is Ino in there too?"

"That move from Ino-san was much too strong! Tenten-san might be badly hurt!"

"When can we see them?"

"As I explained to you all, this is standard procedure. We are just taking precautions with all the participants." replied the harrassed organizer.

"Hey guys." Ino called out, wearily raising a bandaged hand. She was immediately rushed by everyone.

"Ino? Are you okay? How's Tenten?"

"Whoa! Congratulations Ino! Where's Tenten?"

"Ano..that was very impressive Ino-san."

"Hn."

"Where'd you learn bushy-brows move? Huh?"

"That wasn't Front Lotus! Neji-san! If you are going to copy my moves, do it properly, please! Ino-san! Is Tenten-san going to be okay?"

"Ino." Neji reached for her arms. "Good fight." he smiled. He held her arms, gently pushing the sleeves above her elbows and inspecting the wrappings. "You sustained a lot of injuries it seems. So did Tenten I assume."

"Nah…these are just scratches. The medic said I can take them off after a few hours." She look around at the concerned faces. "Tenten is still getting first aid. She should be up and about soon."

She peeked at Neji, "I guess you taught me too well." she gave him a tired grin.

"Hmmn. I did not expect my training of you to be used against my teammate though." Neji expression turned serious. "I activated my Byakugan during your last few moments of fighting. Your last two punches hit her above and directly below her heart. Her liver might have been affected."

"The medic said she suffered minor organ damage." Ino replied soberly. "I didn't intend to go that far, actually. I got caught up in the fight and was running low on energy myself. I only thought about the fastest way I could end it."

The group quieted down.

"Reminds me a bit of our Chunin exam." Sakura looked at Naruto nostalgically.

"Hehe…yeah." Naruto glowered, "Also reminds me of that teme. When I get my hands on him..."

Kiba turned to Naruto, "You guys usually don't talk about Uchiha. You sink into a gloom if he's even mentioned."

"Ah..haha…" Sakura said sheepishly, elbowing Naruto. "We should go check on Tenten."

"They only allow the participants and the medic nins in there and the medic said not to interrupt them. Tenten will need to rest after they heal her." Ino gestured at the small tent. "It's pretty crowded in there already. How about we go visit the Dango Shop? My treat." She waved the coupons.

"You guys go ahead. Go on Lee." Neji looked back at the tent. "I'll see if they'll let me in. I can tell Tenten where we're going."

The group walked on to the shopping district where the dango store was located. Ino looked back and saw Neji enter the tent. _Well, at least Tenten won't be alone._

"Let's get some masks while we're in the area..." Sakura's voice drifted in the air. The girls agreed happily while the rest of the boys complained about having to do shopping.

o00o

Inside the tent, Tenten released the breath she was holding. The medic was finally finished with her.

"All done." The medic patted her shoulder consolingly. "Good fighting. You two were the best match this morning."

Tenten's lips quirked in response. _I still lost. _She numbly accepted the medic's help in shedding off her clothes and putting on the standard issue cotton shift meant for hospital patients. She took the proffered damp towel and wiped her face and all the exposed skin she could reach.

"Now get some rest. I'll come by in a bit with a light sedative." The medic took away the towel and passed through the dividing curtain.

Tenten nodded absentmindedly, easing her body gingerly back into the cot. She thought back on the last few seconds of the fight. _Ino really improved with Neji's tuition. When was the last time I trained with Neji? It seems so long ago since we last trained together._ Somehow, that thought caused her chest to seize.

_Ow. _she winced. She looked around for the medic thinking about asking for some pain meds to go with the sedative. She found her vision blocked by the man standing beside her cot.

"Tenten."

She looked up to find Neji gazing down at her with a concerned expression. "Hey." she managed. _Always so quick and quiet. He's worse than a cat._

"You look beat."

"Oh wow. Thanks for stating the obvious." she croaked sarcastically.

Neji pulled up a stool and sat besides her cot. "How long do you have to stay here?"

"An hour, maybe more." She turned her face away, "You should go. There's nothing for you to do here."

"Everyone's headed to the dango shop," Neji continued, "Ino won some coupons for the elimination round."

"She already told me." Tenten muttered. "Why are you still here? Go already."

"You never did like losing," Neji commented, ignoring her dismissal. "and close combat was never your strong point."

"Rub it in, why don't you."

"I can help you with that." Neji mused. "If you like."

Tenten faced him, "I thought you were busy training Ino?"

"I can make time."

Tenten turned away from him again, "That's big of you but I don't want to impose on your date time with Ino."

"I don't understand this preoccupation with Ino. Why do you keep bringing up Ino?" Neji asked her quietly from behind.

"Well, you are dating her." Tenten stated. "She might be bothered if you were paying attention to another girl, even a teammate." she finished a touch bitterly.

She waited for him to respond. _Why isn't he saying anything?_

"Excuse me." The medic nin attending to her bustled up towards them. "Here's your sedative." She waited for Tenten to sit up before handing over a white tablet with an orange stripe down the middle and a glass of water.

"I was wondering about some pain meds too…?" Tenten asked hopefully, popping the tablet and washing it down with water.

"The sedative has pain relieving substance mixed in already." The medic assured her. "It should take effect pretty soon." She took the glass from Tenten and nodded to Neji before leaving.

Tenten settled back down on the futon. "If I really wanted to learn close combat, Lee is probably the better teacher. I can always ask him so stop bothering yourself about it already."

"If that's what you prefer." Neji gazed down at her. "Nevertheless, the invitation remains open."

"Aren't you leaving?" she grumbled. She tucked her arms across her chest and slightly drew her legs up. The cotton shift wasn't providing much protection from his gaze. She was starting to feel self conscious.

"I'll wait until you fall asleep." Neji reached toward the foot of the cot and pulled the blanket over her. He adjusted the sheet around her, tucking in the ends over her shoulders. He finished by gently brushing her hair back from her face. Astonished, Tenten stared at him mutely.

"You looked cold." Neji coughed, his cheeks reddening.

Tenten could feel her exhaustion pulling at her consciousness. Now that the adrenaline from fighting has worn off she was feeling the dragging fatigue of too much muscle stress. The sedative was only adding to her lethargy.

"You know, you can be so sweet..." she said sleepily, her eyes closing.

Her head fell to the side, her cheek cuddling her pillow. "It's one of the things...I like about you."

"Mmn."

"Sometimes, it's too much..." she unconsciously raised a hand to rest on her furrowed brow. "Strange...makes me want to cry..." she frowned.

"…Liking you…like pain…" She felt a light touch on her forehead. Her face relaxed. "Too much…" Her breathing eased into the regular pattern of sleep.

Neji sat watching the sleeping girl. He bent his head and closed his eyes. His grip on his knees tightened.

* * *

**Waa...this made me want to cry. But it felt just right. O_o**

**Please review. :)**


	9. Konoha Festival Day 2:Masquerade

_**AN:** Very long chapter. My longest yet. A lot of stuff happening. A big shoutout to the super reviewers: ImCutePoison, mdtiger, TheMissMalave, and Cheerful Regression. Also, big hugs to indigo yamanaka, Cholette DiMarionette, Dawnstar95, memyselfandI98 and to everyone else who's been so patient with me. You guys are awesome! _

_I usually try to respond individually to each review. I'll be sending out my replies in a bit. __Work was a ninja. Still beating my tushy actually. _Just so you guys know, I typically update when I have a chapter that I'm more or less satisfied with. It's not really dependent on the number of reviews I get. But it's still nice getting feedback. So keep it coming! XD

_I'm really happy that most of you are also happy with the way the story is going. :) Cookies for everybody!_

_PS. If anybody finds any grammatical mistakes, feel free to drop me a line. I'm cleaning up all the chapters while I have time._

* * *

"Haaaa…I am so tired." Ino yawned. She tucked in her arms around her middle making sure the paper bags containing her purchases weren't crumpled. Her rented costume was in the biggest bag, safely contained in a large box.

As agreed, they did some shopping for that night's masquerade after their stop at the dango store. Even after everybody had their fill of the sticky sweets she still had a couple of left over coupons saved. She was thinking of giving it to Choji when he finally came back from Suna. It was kind of lonely to be the only one in the group to not have their teammate with them.

_I was way harsh to Shika-kun. Baka. _Ino thought morosely. _Why did he have to force things? _She shook her head vigorously, her hair flying. _Enough. Stop thinking about that jerk!_

"Ano…Something on your mind Ino-san?" Hinata peeked at Ino through her lashes. She had her arms in front of her demurely holding her shopping bags by their straps.

Sakura and Naruto bailed on them after they were done at the sweet shop. Something about a prior engagement they've scheduled together. Hinata had watched the pair go with a confused expression on her face. The rest of their party had made their way to the shopping district. Ino ended up buying two masks, one for her and the other for Sakura. She hoped the Forehead wouldn't mind the dove grey feathered contraption she got for her. She thought it would go well with Sakura's hair.

"Hmm?" Ino glanced distractedly at the petite brunette. "Oh, it's nothing. Still recovering from earlier I guess."

Hinata smiled at her, "You and Neji-san seem to be getting along well."

"We're okay. He can be sweet when the mood takes him," Ino said, "and it's fun to tease him. He is so easy." she laughed.

"He's grown more kind." Hinata looked off to the distance, watching a couple of kids playing in the street. "It wasn't so long ago that I thought we'd never get along."

"I like who he is now. These past few days it feels like he's happier, lighter somehow. It's much easier to talk to him." Hinata turned to Ino. "You had a hand in that, I think."

A small smile played on Ino's lips, her eyes sad, "Haha…you think so?" She bumped her shoulder with Hinata, "I wouldn't want to take full credit though. Surely, you guys have been getting closer too. You always behave like siblings."

"Ano…I don't know what you mean…" Hinata questioned hesitantly, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Weeell, he's always so protective of you. Like an older brother would behave around a younger sister."

"Aaa…I think that's just a remnant of our positions before…from when we still had the branch house policy…" Hinata mumbled.

"Could be, could be," Ino mused. "Although, he did tell me about that time when you were younger and he thought you were cute. I think you had just turned three. He thought you were adorable."

Hinata looked at her in disbelief.

"Uhuh. It's a secret thought." Ino put a finger to her lips. "Neji will kill me if he knew I told."

Ino glanced at Hinata, "You know, since you guys are family, don't be afraid to yank his chain sometimes. It would do the guy some good." she finished mischievously.

Hinata smiled. "Thank you Ino-san."

Ino transferred her arms behind her back, "I think Neji understands that you were no better off than him. A victim of circumstances." Ino looked up at the sky, "I think he regrets how he treated you then and is making up for it now." She glanced down at the pale kunoichi. Ino smiled when she saw Hinata's expression. _She looks happier._

"What's taking them so long?" Ino turned towards the entrance of a novelty shop, suddenly irritated. "After all their complaining they're the ones taking forever shopping. Figures." she tsked.

She peered through the open doorway and saw Kiba and Shino comparing the pages of two magazines while Neji watched in silent sufferance as Lee crowded the glass display filled with different kinds of weapons. "Tenten-san would love these! Neji-san, what do you think we should get for our sweet teammate?"

"Hey guys! Aren't you done yet?" Ino called out.

Four sets of eyes turned to her.

"'Cause Hinata and I are getting tired waiting for you _girls_." she continued slyly. She watched the three guys jockey for the cashier after that ego-bruising comment. Neji just offered her a dry smile in response.

"I'm sorry." Neji walked over to Ino. "I haven't been good company have I?" he asked softly.

He took hold of her hand, "Where would you like to go next? We can make our excuses to the others, if you want."

Ino smiled up to Neji, "It's okay. I like hanging out with everybody." she pulled away her hand and patted his chest. "It's more fun, don't you think?"

"Hey! There's the new action movie with Yukie Fujikaze showing now. You guys wanna catch that?" Kiba and the other guys joined them at the doorway, their purchases made.

Lee turned to Kiba in joy, "Oh my! It's out already? I have been waiting for the latest film with Princess Fuun! Yes! I would very much want to watch her movie!"

Kiba pulled on Hinata's sleeve, "What do you think, Hinata?" he grinned at the pale brunette. "You like the series where Fujikaze plays Princess Fuun, right?"

"Umm….it would be nice." Hinata replied softly. She returned Kiba's smile.

"I don't mind getting to sit for a bit." Ino said. "I'm still bushed."

Shino just shrugged while Neji only lifted a brow.

It was agreed. After getting their tickets and drinks (everyone was still full from their trip to the dango store) their party trooped inside the theater and settled into their seats. Ino ended up sitting in the seat closest to the aisle with Hinata next to her. Neji sat besides his cousin with the rest of the boys lined up on his other side. As soon as the lights were turned down Ino felt her eyelids getting heavy….

o00o

"Hey. Heeey." Kiba tried to shake Ino awake again to no avail. He scratched his neck and looked at their small group. "What now?"

"Ano…she must have really tired herself out." Hinata whispered.

"Ino-san looks so cute sleeping in her yukata! She is like a budding flower waiting for the sun's warm rays to awaken her!" Lee sang in a stage whisper.

"We can't leave her here." Shino stated quietly. "Although, that would be convenient."

Kiba punched him on the arm, "Don't be stupid. There's an easier way." He took a deep breath, "INNOOO! Waaake uuup!"

They waited to see if his shout took effect. Ino merely twitched and shifted lower in her seat.

"Huh! She did sleep through all that noise from the movie." Kiba put his arms over the back of his head, his elbows pointed at the ceiling and looked at everyone. "Any more ideas?"

Neji walked over to Ino's chair. He bent and inserted his arms under her knees and behind her back, easily scooping her up. He shifted his grip bringing the sleeping girl closer to his chest. "I'll take her home."

Neji walked out of the aisle and faced his friends, "Hinata-sama, if you could accompany us please. I'll need you to take Ino's bags and get the key to Sakura's house."

"How chivalrous! You are truly a man's man, my rival!" Lee announced, making a fist with one hand and stars in his eyes. "It is only my thoughts for my beloved Sakura-san that has prevented me from suggesting the same thing sooner!"

"Lee, you can go check on Tenten if you're free." Neji addressed Lee, ignoring the other man's declaration. "She should be okay to leave the first aid tent now."

"Waaa…that just leaves me and Shino!" Kiba complained. "I don't wanna hang out with such an antisocial guy!"

"Keep it down Kiba. Ino's still sleeping." Shino rebuked.

Kiba compressed his lips, shooting a glare at his teammate. "Hmpf! Ordering me around..who does he think he is..." Kiba continued to mutter more invectives.

"We should go. The next crowd will be entering the theater soon." Neji started heading for the exit careful not to jostle Ino too much. Lee went ahead of him and held the door open.

Team 8 brought up the rear with Kiba carrying Hinata's purchases. Shino walked beside them silently.

Kiba leaned in close to Hinata, "Did you notice how Neji took charge just like that?"

Hinata looked ahead at her cousin, "Umm…I guess it comes naturally for Neji-san." she raised her shoulders, "I'm happy he's succeeding as the head of the clan."

"Looks like he really digs Ino." Kiba's gaze turned sharp, his expression mischievous. "I wonder what people will think when they see him carrying her."

o00o

Shikamaru buried his hands in his pockets, keeping his head low as he walked. He had just dismissed his team from their afternoon training. He left the palace quickly, not wanting to field the questions he could see Sakura was boiling over to ask.

He exhaled. _Mendokuse. This was bad._ He really messed up this time. Worst than before. _Just because you've come to grips with your feelings doesn't mean she feels the same way._ He pressed two fingers against the bridge of his nose, squeezing until he felt pain. _But…she kissed me back…didn't she?_

_"I don't want this, I HATE it!"_

He stopped and covered his eyes. His lips tightened, compressed to a line. _I was such an asshole to her. Forcing myself on her. Just how stupid could I get? She's better off with Ne-_

"Goddammit!" He really didn't want to finish that thought and he really wanted to punch something. Maybe he should've continued the team's training for a while longer, long enough to exhaust himself to oblivion. Jaws clenched, Shikamaru stuffed his hands back deep into his pockets, pulling hard on the cloth and raised his face to the sky. He looked blindy at the slow-moving clouds above. _I'm an idiot. An ass. 'You're mine.' What a way to confess. Who says that anyway? Completely out of my mind. Worse than Naruto-_

His internal castigation was interrupted by a sudden burst of sound.

**Calling all participants for the Second Elimination Round for the Sports Festival! **

**Calling all participants for the Second Elimination Round for the Sports Festival! **

**We are about to begin!**

Organizers from the festival were going around making the announcement through a megaphone. Shikamaru looked around him. He had been walking aimlessly, but now he found that he had stopped at the entrance of the festival activity stalls. Maybe there was something here that could help him bury his self-loathing.

_Hold on. _His eyes narrowed. _Who's that…? _

o00o

"Ino!"

Sakura hurried to the trio. "What happened to her?" she cried.

Hinata brought a finger to her lips, "Shhh…uhhmm…Ino-san fell asleep while we were watching a film at the movie theater."

Neji nodded at Sakura, "We were on our way to your house."

"Oh." Sakura deflated.

Ino sighed and snuggled closer to Neji, her hands curled against his chest. Neji looked down at the sleeping kunoichi, "She should have rested after her fight earlier."

Sakura looked at the couple, Neji in his hakama and Ino in her kimono. With his long dark hair and Ino carried in his arms they looked like an illustration straight out of an ancient scroll of the Land of Fire, especially the ones with romance woven into the story between a samurai and his beloved. _I really hope Shikamaru didn't see them like this. _Sakura inwardly cringed at the thought.

"Well, come on. My house is near." She gestured at the Hyuga cousins.

"Ano…you and Naruto-kun…" Hinata twiddled her thumbs a red fire blooming on her cheeks. "Umm…"

"Oh! Hahaha!" Sakura laughed nervously, "We parted ways just a while ago. We…err…we helped my mom move some stuff." she finished in a rush.

"Nothing to worry about Hinata!" she patted Hinata on the shoulder and hurriedly pulled away. Sakura was fully cognizant of the younger girl's feelings for her teammate. She didn't want Hinata to draw the wrong conclusions.

For that she was presented with a shy smile from the brunette. "Ah..ha..I see. Naruto-kun is so helpful."

"Oh! We're here!" Sakura hurried up the walkway and inserted her key into the door. She quickly slipped off her sandals and stepped indoors. _Aiiiee..! It's all cluttered up in here right now!_

"Come in guys! Forgive the mess." Sakura made her way to the sofa and scooped up all the strewn clothes and ribbons; outfits she and Ino tried on a couple of days earlier. She slid open a closet and started dumping in the clothes. She picked up the discarded shopping bags and stuffed them in as well.

Neji stood looking around for a place to put down Ino. Hinata stood by his side uncertainly.

"Ahh! Here, here!" Sakura waved at Neji and pointed at the now clean sofa. "Put her down here." Sakura went to the coffee table and straightened the books and rolled up the scrolls lying carelessly on top. Hinata carefully deposited Ino's shopping bags on the floor besides the coffee table. Neji went up to the sofa and gently placed Ino on the cushions. The Hyuga cousins faced Sakura.

"You guys want tea?" Sakura blew her hair off her face, her arms stuffed with more scrolls.

"Umm…I can help." Hinata offered. She pointed at the hallway behind Sakura. "Your kitchen is that way, right?"

At Sakura's nod, Hinata started for the kitchen. "If I remember, the tea kettle is stored in the cabinet above the sink, yes?"

"Yeah. I keep the tea leaves stored in jars near the fridge. They're all labeled on the outside. Choose whatever you want." Sakura voice was muffled behind the open cabinet. She stamped down on all the stuff she piled inside with a quick push from her chakra-laden hands. Finally, she managed to pull it close. She wiped her hands and turned to face the living room.

"So."

"Hn."

"Had a fun day so far?"

"Hmn."

"Where's the rest of the guys?"

"We split up. I asked Lee to check on Tenten." Neji's brow creased slightly. "Hinata's teammates are…somewhere."

"Ahh." Sakura regarded her best friend, still out cold. "It was nice of you to take care of Ino."

Neji turned to face the sleeping girl, "It was my responsibility. I should have insisted she rested after the sports festival."

"That's Ino for you." Sakura chuckled, "Always so gung-ho."

…

…

...

Sakura was about to break the silence when Neji spoke up.

"She is different."

"Eh?"

"Your friend is special. Ino is special." Neji turned to Sakura, "She…sees the good in people…and…she helps them bring it out of themselves."

Sakura looked fondly at Ino, "Yeah, she does that." Sakura touched her _hitae-ate_, the forehead protector now tied as a headband around her hair.

Sakura shot a glance at Neji, "Say Neji-"

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

Neji regarded Sakura, "I know you are friends. You care for her. I…also care for her. But…." he turned back to look at Ino, his face withdrawn. "I don't know what we are to each other. That was what you were leading to ask, yes?"

_Not really. I was going to ask him how the movie was. _Sakura took a moment to look at the silent shinobi, noting the tense shoulders and the hooded eyes.

"Let's go to the kitchen." Sakura gestured behind her. "The tea should be almost ready." she turned to go.

"There is another." Neji said in a quiet undertone. "I…think…I also care for someone else."

Sakura swung around.

"It's difficult. I have been trying to suppress…I don't want to hurt anyone." Neji covered his eyes.

_Why am I always the one who has to deal with these kind of things? Am I wearing a sign that says 'Dump Your Issues Here'? Yeah, I'm a medic but not this kind of medic! _Sakura took another look at the troubled shinobi and sighed resignedly. She tried to think. For Hyuga Neji to reveal so much emotion must mean the usually reserved shinobi was in deep turmoil. She couldn't just dismiss that.

"Tenten, right?"

Neji jerked in surprise then relaxed. "That obvious, hmn?"

"You could say," she replied. "I've been in a similar boat as Tenten." _Stupid Sasuke!_

Sakura studied Neji's profile, "Well, you should at least work out what's what as soon as possible. It's not fair to you or them."

Neji returned his attention to Ino. He and Sakura stood silently in the middle of the living room. The distant sound of the tea kettle whistling and the clink of porcelain reached the room.

Hinata popped her head through the doorway. "Umm…the tea is ready." She looked first at Sakura then at her cousin. "Ano…would you like me to serve it there?"

Neji turned to his cousin, "Thank you Hinata-sama but I'll take my tea in the kitchen. Let's not disturb Ino." he walked past Sakura. "Arigatou." he said quietly. "For listening."

Sakura turned to follow him into the kitchen, the living room empty except for it's sleeping occupant. Ino turned over and snuggled a cushion, still dead to the world.

o00o

"Chouji!"

Shikamaru embraced his teammate in a bear hug. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Suna!" he exclaimed.

"A few of my cousins and I decided to go home early for the festival." Chouji shrugged his massive shoulders. "Besides, there were so many of the clan who attended and Mom and Dad are still there to represent our house, a few of us wouldn't be missed."

"Here," Chouji handed a paper bag to Shikamaru. "I got this for you. It's _hoshigaki_, a dried fruit specialty in Suna. It's really good." he looked behind Shikamaru, "Where's Ino? I got her some of it too."

"Thanks Chouji." Shikamaru looked down at the wrapped box nestled inside the bag, "Ino and I aren't attending the festival together."

"Oh? Couldn't bear to go without me, eh?" Chouji said jokingly, slapping Shikamaru on the arm.

"Something like that," Shikamaru said quietly.

"But seriously, where is she?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

At his subdued response Chouji gave his teammate a curious look. "Did something happen between you and her?"

Shikamaru shot him a look.

"Only, before I left," Chouji continued, "seems to me you had something that was bugging you about her. Figured it out yet?"

Shikamaru rubbed his neck and looked up at the sky. Then he closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Mendokuse."

"Aha! I knew it!" Chouji crowed, slamming a meaty fist into his open palm. "Took you long enough."

He slung an arm over the lean shinobi, "So…how's it going between you two?"

"Like I said," Shikamaru gave his a friend a cross look, "we're not attending the festival together."

"Eh? I was sure you'd hit it off." The Akimichi was scratching his head in puzzlement.

"Did you even tell her?" Chouji looked his friend over. "You know. What you figured out. How it involves her." the big guy rubbed the side of his red face. "You know what I mean."

"I tried. Didn't work out." the shadow nin muttered reluctantly.

"Really? Maybe you just didn't say it right." Chouji narrowed his eyes at his teammate. "You did say the L word, right? Girls will look for that you know. You should always say the L word when you're doing a confession."

"Since when do you know so much?" Shikamaru replied evasively.

"Don't change the subject." Chouji wrapped an arm around his teammate. "Ino's a girly girl, you know? She'd definitely wanna hear the L word." he shook Shikamaru up and down. "Shikamaru! You should tell her how you feel! Come on, we should go find Ino and have us some big romantic confession festival here and now!"

"Stop it, Choji." Shikamaru pushed away from Chouji. "I messed up, alright!"

The Akimichi looked at his best friend, dumbfounded. Shikamaru was looking at the ground, his posture sagging.

"I screwed up." he said in a low voice. "Ino and I…." Shikamaru trailed off. "She pretty much hates me right now." he finished in a monotone.

There was a long silence. Chouji scratched his cheek, squinting at the distance.

"What did you do?"

Shikamaru kept his gaze away.

"It can't be that bad."

Shikamaru tensed.

"Do I need to punch you now?"

Shikamaru looked up at his best friend who was observing him with a raised eyebrow.

"Go ahead." he answered tonelessly.

Chouji blinked. "I don't want to. I still need you conscious to keep me company for the festival." he faced Shikamaru with his arms folded across his chest. "So. What did you do?"

Shikamaru pulled on his neck. "Forced a kiss on her." he said under his breath. "Twice."

"Eh? Tha'ts it?" Chouji blurted out. "You should go talk to her. Fix things between the two of you."

"She hates me, remember?"

"You don't know that. Did _she_ say that?"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"You can't leave things as they are. What about our team?"

"…"

"What will our parents say?"

"…"

"What would Asuma-sensei say?"

At that remark Shikamaru shot Chouji a dark look.

"Come on! You're like, perfect for each other. Asuma-sensei would have approved!"

"She's with Neji."

"NEJI?" Chouji bellowed, his eyes widening.

"Keep your voice down."

"Hyuga and Ino? How'd that happen?"

Shikamaru buried his hands in his pockets again, the package from Chouji slung over his elbow. "When you left for Suna Ino got assigned by the Kage to train with him."

"Why not you?" Chouji's eyes nearly crinkled shut with his frown.

"I have other assignments." Shikamaru scowled. "Can we talk about something else?"

The two friends started walking. They were soon in the middle of the busy path of the activity fair. Vendors on either side were working hard advertising their wares and promoting their games. Many have engaged a crowd to observe some trick or other to entice people to participate or buy an item.

"So what's been happening here? Anything interesting?" Chouji asked conversationally.

"There's this." Shikamaru swept his arm to encompass the bustling booths. "Later there's going to be some sort of costume street party."

"Oho! Sweet!" the big guy chortled. "Best time to be back! Street parties always get wild."

"I wasn't really thinking of attending." Shikamaru rubbed his neck. "I was just gonna crash at home after checking things out here for a bit."

"Oh come on! I came back for this!" Chouji protested. "Last year we only had a prayer ritual. It took forever. Shikamaru, we have to go to this year's event!"

"Fine, fine." Shikamaru muttered, an eyebrow twitching slightly at the Akimichi's enthusiasm. "I guess we can go."

"We'll need masks though." Chouji paused. "There's a store that sells full face masks at the market. They have those kinds with animal faces and patterns painted on them." Chouji looked around, "Hmm. Maybe they also have a booth set up here too."

"Hey! Are any of you guys free? Do you want to join the sports fest?"

Chouji and Shikamaru glanced at the direction of the shout. A man wearing an organizer's robe approached them with a harried expression.

"Please say you'll join. We'll waive the joining fee!"

"I'm sorry. I just got back from a trip." Chouji shrugged his shoulders regretfully. "I'm still tired from traveling."

"What about you sir? Please join us!" the man turned to Shikamaru. "One of our participants suddenly backed out and we're a man short. You'd really help us out if you participate!" pleaded the organizer.

"Sure." Shikamaru said abruptly. "I have time to spare. What about you, Chouji?"

"Guess I can watch for a while. I'm gonna go get snacks first though and hunt for those masks. Where's the sports fest gonna be?" Chouji asked the organizer.

"We're just after the goldfish scooping booth. Our tourney's section is quite large. You won't miss it!"

With that, Chouji waved goodbye to his teammate and Shikamaru followed the relieved organizer.

o00o

"Aack! This is so embarrassing." Ino moaned. "I can't believe I fell asleep in the theater." Sakura had just finished telling her how she came to be in Sakura's house, lying down on the sofa when the last thing she remembered was sitting down for a Princess Fuu movie.

"And got carried home by Neji. Let's not forget that."

"I'll have to apologize when I see him." Ino pursed her lips nervously.

She buried her face in her hands. "Crap. I don't think I can do it."

"I should have taken a picture." Sakura smirked. "Endless blackmail material."

"Oh, shut up!"

Sakura strolled to the hallway mirror and started arranging her hair. "Aren't you changing? The masquerade will start soon you know."

"Oh crap, crap, crap! I still have to shower!"

Sakura watched Ino dash up the stairs, her yukata hiked up to her knees, completely undignified.

"Your mask is in the blue paper bag!" yelled Ino. The sound of running water could be heard from the open bathroom door. "Help me put on my costume, alright? Sakura?"

"Hai, hai." Sakura inspected the grey mask in distaste. _Feathers?_

o00o

The masquerade was actually a star festival where the custom is for people to celebrate the event by writing wishes on small pieces of paper and hanging them on bamboo and other decorations. At midnight, the bamboo and decorations would be lighted and released in the river, resembling floating paper ships. The festival happens every other year, marking the time when according to folklore the star lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, separated by the Milky Way, are allowed to meet when a flock of magpies fly to the sky to make a bridge for the two lovers to meet on.

Traditionally, there is an official masquerade procession preceding the writing of wishes. Dancers in masks pranced around the spectators, pulling some of the people to join in the dance or bringing together an unlikely couple, most of it lighthearted pranks meant to encourage the people to let loose. The parade will begin at the intersection of the market and shopping district. From there it will work its way through the main street and finish inside the stadium. Awards were given to the dancers for a myriad of categories.

A group of people could be seen edging their way through the small streets.

One, a young woman with a long stream of blond hair was dressed in a deep aquamarine _junihitoe_ that was belted loosely to show the the brilliant white silk under shirt and exposing her legs from the knee down. Over half of her face was a domino mask in white with dots of red at the corner of the eyes. A section of her hair was threaded with a ribbon and left to hang straight over her back and one shoulder.

Her companions, three other women and a group of men were also dressed as lavishly.

"Isn't this wonderful! We must have our photo taken to commemorate this splendid display of beauty!" exclaimed Lee. He smoothed down the front of his_ sokutai,_ a complex attire typically worn by daimyo.

Sakura batted the trail of grey feathers falling over her face. "Really? You couldn't get me a simple domino like yours?"

Hinata adjusted her cowl for the umpteenth time. Her costume looked similar to a furisode with long sweeping sleeves and belted at the front with a creamy silk cowl to go over her head but instead of the bottom tightly wrapping around her legs, the skirt made a wide sweep of the ground parting at the center showing a hint of her ankles and feet.

"Whaaat? You look cute." Ino said over Hinata's head at Sakura. "It goes well with your hair and your dress _is_ patterned with cherry blossoms. Err…think of the feathers as the birds flying over the trees."

Neji, walking quietly beside her, was dressed in a flowing grey and white yukata with a slash of deep yellow belting it in place. Ino bent forward and waved at Tenten who was walking beside Lee on the far end of the group. "Glad you're feeling better Tenten."

Tenten returned her wave and continued walking without saying a word. Ino inwardly cringed. _Maybe she's mad about earlier. _

Naruto tugged irritably at his collar. "Why do these things have to be so itchy?"

"Probably because you didn't wash it beforehand." Kiba snickered. Their costumes were identical, a military uniform reminiscent of the samurai of the Land of Irons minus the metal plates. It turned out that they both went to the same rental shop.

"Well at least I'm in costume!" Naruto held out an arm and dramatically pointed at Shino. "Wearing a mask is not a costume Shino!"

Shino just wore his usual jacket and pants; the hood pulled up and the jacket's high collar covering the lower half of his face. Instead of his usual sunglasses, a white domino covered the rest of his face. Shino idly lifted a hand and pulled his hood lower.

The main street was ahead of them and already dancers were stepping out and winding their way through the collected crowds on the sidewalks. They swayed to the beat of drums carried by their fellow participants who walked behind them.

Hinata and Kiba who stood side by side were suddenly pulled forward by a masked dancer. Two more dancers came up behind the couple and pushed them closer. They made motions for the pair to start dancing. A blushing Hinata began to shuffle her feet. Kiba, also red-cheeked let out a laugh that caused Hinata to giggle. He lifted her and swung in a circle, laughing the entire time. After putting her down he took hold of her hand and pulled her through the throng of whirling bodies. Soon they were lost in view.

Tenten and Sakura were also ineffectively trying to wave away the dancers pulling them forward. A boy of about ten was paired with Sakura while a shinobi in uniform was pushed in Tenten's direction. Lee looked on in dismay and envy at the giggling boy currently being twirled by a smiling Sakura. Shino, standing so forbiddingly, was ignored by the participants. Naruto was already scampering away with a girl with purple streaked hair, obviously a foreigner visiting the village with her brown skin, so dark it was almost ebony.

Aside from Shino and Lee, only Ino with the Hyuga standing close to her wasn't dragged to the middle of the street. Ino reached up and tugged on the wave of brown hair dangling over Neji's shoulder. "Smile. You're scaring people."

Neji lifted a brow. His famed Byakugan eyes already acted as a deterrent. Add to that his expressionless face and any participant who had half a mind to approach them immediately veered away.

"At least put on your mask." Ino's lips quirked upward. "What's the point of a masquerade if everybody can see who you are?"

"I don't think the mask would make much difference." he murmured but obediently placed his domino over his face. Though his eyes were not as recognizable the mask framed his high cheekbones and straight nose, drawing attention to the strong line of his jaw framed by his long hair.

"I'm not much for dancing, however." Neji said ruefully. He gestured at the procession. "Do you want to join? I can accompany you at least."

Ino shook her head. "Nah. They don't really expect everyone to dance. See, a lot of the people are just watching too." She pointed to the crowded sidewalk across the street.

She glanced fleetingly at the tall shinobi. "Erm…thanks for bringing me home earlier."

"It was my responsibility." Neji smiled. "You must have eaten a lot of dango though. You were a bit heavy."

Color crept into her cheeks. "Heavy! Are you teasing me?"

He gave her blonde hair a tug. "Just a bit."

She wavered over sticking out her tongue at him or not. She settled for poking him on the shoulder. "What did you mean, it's your responsibility? I'm not your sister you know."

He gave a small cough. "No, you're not."

They didn't notice that in the interim both Shino and Lee have quietly slipped away.

Neji took hold of her hand, turning it over and studying her skin. "Your wounds are better. That's good."

"Yup." she pulled away and patted his shoulder a bit. For some reason, she didn't like having Neji hold her hand and though it was nice of him to offer, the idea of dancing with him seemed awkward too. More and more she noticed her interest in him waning. _Am I really this fickle? _She frowned.

Neji turned to her. "Is something wrong?"

"Where's everybody?" Ino took a look around them. None of their friends were nearby. Only other villagers, civilians and shinobi, as well as visitors surrounded them.

"Joining the procession, I believe." Neji answered. He looked down at her, "Ah." he paused. "Maybe now we can have our date."

Ino met his eyes. "Are you teasing me again?"

"Not this time." he uttered softly. "Shall we?"

Ino looked at the hand he offered before slowly taking hold of it.

o00o

Their date was short-lived.

Left on their own after nearly two days of being constantly surrounded with their friends and the pandemonium of the festival with each of them bombarded with conflicting emotions their 'date' was a strained affair.

"This is awkward." Ino drew in a breath. "Right?"

Neji pulled off his mask. "Maybe we're just tired. It has been a busy day for us both."

Ino exhaled and also removed her domino. "I don't think so."

They both contemplated the busy street, each lost in thought. Around them people went about laughing. Chattering girls shared notes of who's names they put in their wish list. Others wondered out loud if their wishes for improved performance in a particular skill will be granted.

"Is it Nara?"

"Shikamaru has nothing to do with this." Ino kept her gaze on the distant lights of the night market. _Right? _Her thoughts were rioting confusedly again.

She felt him take hold of her chin and gently turn her face to his. Ino met his eyes, his gaze searching. He edged closer, cupping her cheek in his palm. "Do you think we still have it?" she asked.

Ino looked into his eyes, willing him to understand her meaning. She froze when she saw the regret in his face. He bent closer, his other hand came up to frame her face, tilting her lips up as his descended. She felt her eyes close, her lips parting with the merest breath.

His lips met hers, at first gently, hesitantly. Then strong and sure, pressing firmly on hers, moving languorously. Her mouth parted.

They stayed locked in an embrace for a moment more before slowly, inwardly sighing, Ino brought the kiss to an end and gently pushed Neji away. The kiss was nice, the same as it was when it first happened so long ago when he brought her home. But that was all. There was no spark. No overwhelming feeling taking over her in the unhurried caress. _Not like with Shika- STOP! Don't go there!_ she thought, irritated with herself.

She focused on Neji. Recalling the flash of regret on his face, Ino wondered if he felt the same as she did.

Neji cupped her cheek and answered her question, "Maybe it was never there to begin with."

She smiled wistfully, "We're an odd pair, huh?"

"That's what I like about you." he gave her cheek a pat and dropped his hand. "That wry humor."

She blinked then let out a chuckle. "My saving grace."

Neji studied her face, "May I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"When Nara kissed you, what did you feel?"

Unprepared, Ino swallowed hard. "Uhh…ummm..." _Wonderful. Overwhelmed. Exhilarated. Stop! Stop! STOP! _

"I see."

Ino wished the heat in her cheeks would go away. She stood in mute mortification.

"I didn't want what happened between me and Shikamaru to get between what you and I could have had." she said quietly. "This." she gestured at the both of them. "Maybe it could have worked, maybe not. But now…." she shrugged helplessly.

"Ino." he took hold of her hands bringing them together. "It's okay."

Ino gazed down at their clasped hands.

"You're a kind guy, Neji."

She felt a light touch on her forehead where Neji pressed his lips. Then a small gust of air when he let out a sigh.

"About Nara. If he makes you feel that way, maybe you can work something out with him."

"Neji." she said warningly. "Don't go there." She felt herself tear up. _What's the matter with me?_

Immediately, Neji brought a finger to her cheek to wipe away the bead. "Oh, bugger." Ino exhaled hastily and vigorously scrubbed her eyes.

"Shikamaru is a friend and currently in the dog house in my book." she said stiffly.

"As you say." he said, unruffled by her tone. "Lately, I find friends have a knack of complicating things."

She glanced at him suspiciously wondering what he was inferring at. She impatiently shook her head and quickly ran her hands over her skirt. "Well, since this was a dud, wanna go look for the others?"

"You turn so casual, so suddenly." Neji muttered. "We might as well."

She gave him a soft punch. "Hey! I'm just trying to lighten up the mood here."

He gave a low chuckle, letting her pull him along by the arm in the direction of the stadium.

o00o

"Yo. Shikamaru." Chouji glanced at his friend worriedly. They had been walking along the street when they caught sight of the tall Hyuga with Ino. He didn't know what bad luck befell them but they'd espied the couple just when they had shared a kiss. They were far enough to see but not to hear. But it was apparent from that long liplock and the affectionate treatment the pair shared afterwards that they were a couple.

Chouji knew long before Shikamaru that his bestfriend felt deeply for their bossy teammate. He had thought Ino might come to feel the same for Shikamaru. He hadn't wanted to pry, content to let the both of his friends work it out themselves. But he didn't expect someone like Neji to come into Ino's life before Shikamaru could realize his feelings for her.

He had eventually gotten Shikamaru to share the events of the past weeks with him. Up until his supposed blunder in forcing a kiss on Ino. He hadn't mentioned anything more about Shikamaru confessing to Ino and looking at his face now Chouji was at a loss on what to say to his friend.

"Hey." Chouji gave Shikamaru's arm a tug. "Let's go this way."

Shikamaru didn't budge. He continued to stare after the couple until they were out of view.

"They look good together don't they?"

"W-what?" Chouji asked, puzzled.

Shikamaru turned to face him. His eyes looked bleak. "Neji and Ino. They look like a matched pair."

"Shikamaru.…"

"What Chouji?" he laughed grimly, his face hard.

Chouji stared at him sympathetically.

"Don't look at me like that." Shikamaru unclenched his fists and tried to relax his body. He plunged his hands deep into his pockets. He hung his head and inhaled deeply. His lips compressed to a thin line.

_"Mendokuse."_

The word was uttered in a low voice, laced with self-contempt and bitter with an unnamed emotion.

Chouji waited out his friend. He knew Shikamaru. The guy was doing his best to come to grips with what they both saw.

"Come on big guy." Shikamaru jerked his head in the direction of the stadium. "You said you wanted to join the street party."

Choji wondered if he should have stayed in Suna as he followed his friend reluctantly.

o00o

Shikamaru watched the milling people below. He was sitting on a tree branch, his back to the trunk, an arm propped on his knee while his other leg hung over the branch.

He took a drag from the cigarette dangling from his fingers. He couldn't see Chouji anymore. He left his teammate with some jounin friends and after buying a pack of cigarettes from a vendor he found a tree where he could sit and think undisturbed.

It wasn't fair that he ruin the festival for Chouji so he figured it was best to leave as soon as they found people they knew. In his current frame of mind he was bound to spoil the mood for everyone anyway.

_Ino._

He inhaled deeply, the glow from the embers brightening. It's been a long time since he last smoked. He had started the habit after Asuma-sensei died. He only stopped to get Ino off his back. She wouldn't stop badgering him about the damn thing.

_Ino._

Remembering that only recalled to him why he started smoking again. He saw it in his mind's eye. Ino kissing Neji. The memory made his hand clench, crushing the lit cigarettle. He felt the burn and let the crumpled stick fall to the ground. He turned over his hand and looked blankly at the blister forming.

For a moment he just stared at the burned skin.

He took out another cigarette, lit it and blew out the smoke. He leaned his head against the trunk and shut his eyes.

_It's no good._

o00o

Ino peered over Sakura's shoulder, "Who's name are you putting down?"

Sakura quickly folded over the piece of paper. "None of your business!"

"Oho. I think I saw an 'S' there." Ino draped an arm over Sakura's shoulders. "Sakura. You've got to let that guy go. He's a missing nin. It's the festival. You're pretty and single. You should have fun!"

Sakura turned to Ino dislodging her arm, "I'll bring him back." she vowed. "Anyway, I can't just turn on or off my feelings. Who did you put in yours anyway?"

Ino fished out a piece of colored paper. "No one." She approached a wide streamer that hung from a beam and affixed the scrap unto it. "I made a wish to be better at taijutsu. Hopefully, it gets granted by tomorrow in time for the finals."

Sakura finished attaching her own paper. She gave it a final pat. "I thought you'd put in Neji's name."

They both turned to look at a short distance where the rest of their friends were busy writing or posting their wishes in other hanging decorations. Neji stood with his teammates. He didn't seem to have posted anything. He saw the two girls looking at his direction and raised a hand in a small wave.

Ino lifted her arm to return the greeting. "It didn't work out." She felt Sakura turn to her in surprise. "We're still friends. But…I don't know. Things just seem to have fizzled out between us."

"Could it have something to do with Shikamaru?" Sakura asked quietly.

Ino let out an impatient sigh, "You and Neji should compare notes. For the last time, Shika is a friend." She turned to go.

Sakura put a restraining hand on her arm. "Ino."

Ino turned reluctantly to face Sakura.

"Why won't you consider Shikamaru?"

Ino was silent.

"You care for him. Everyone knows that. You've been friends for a long time and you always get along. He obviously likes you. More than just a friend."

Sakura waited for Ino to speak.

"It scares me." Ino finally whispered.

"What does?"

"This thing between him and me." Ino looked out at the crowd. "What if it doesn't last? What if it's just a momentary feeling? How could we go back to being friends if we have a falling out? It would be too awkward. We've known each other too long and too well."

"But Ino, I don't think things can go on as they are either."

Ino rounded on Sakura, "Why not? Why should we risk years of friendship for a momentary fling? That's all it's going to be anyway."

"I think it's more than just a passing fancy for Shikamaru."

"You don't know that. From the way he's acting it's more like he's only marking his territory." Ino said bitterly. "Do you know what he said to me? He said, 'You're mine.' like I'm his property. His toy. Stupid." She felt the tears threatening again.

"Boys are idiots." Sakura sighed.

Ino let out a short laugh. "You're right. And I'd be an even bigger moron to let an idiot get to me."

"Still." Sakura placed a finger thoughtfully on her lips. "I don't think Shikamaru is after a fling and I don't think he'd be willing to just return to your status quo either."

Sakura raised a hand forestalling the objection she saw forming on Ino's face, "Stop being so afraid, Ino."

She bumped her shoulder against the blonde's "Buck up! You're a Konoha kunoichi aren't you?"

"Oh shut it." Ino mumbled. "Let's just go, okay?"

"Fine, fine. I give up." With hands raised to her shoulders, Sakura made her way to their friends.

Ino turned to look one last time at the colored paper she put on the streamer. The streamer was papered with more scraps of colored paper. Wishes. _I wish things could be that easy._

o00o

The star festival was over. The decorations folded placed on bamboo rafts were lighted and released in the river. The street party was in full swing, the alcohol flowing freely as masked bodies darted in and out of the whirling press of the crowd. Ino had begged off, citing her tiring day and need for rest for the sports fest finals. She waved away Neji's offer to bring her home. She wanted to be alone.

The night was bright enough and though the street towards Sakura's house wasn't as full of people, there were enough that she didn't feel herself in any danger walking home on her own.

"Ino."

She looked up in shock. She'd been walking with her head bent low. Ino looked at the man standing a few paces in front of her.

"Shika."

"Chouji is here."

Ino glanced at him.

"He came home early for the festival."

"Oh."

A long silence passed.

"I guess we can all hang out with the rest of the guys." Ino finally said. She felt a pain in her chest. _Maybe with Chouji around things could get back to normal._

Shikamaru looked at her with an inscrutable expression."I don't think that's going happen."

"Don't sweat it." Ino said shortly. "We're still friends. Of course, we can hang out."

"That's not what I mean. But, I am sorry for what I did." Shikamaru closed the distance between them gazing down at her lowered head. "I'm sorry I was pushy." he said, his voice tight.

"I'm feeling a sense of deja vu." Ino shook her head and laughed bitterly. "You're good at mouthing apologies."

"Gomenasai." Shikamaru repeated, his face white with strain.

Ino bit her lip. _It's getting awkward._

Another long pause.

Ino started to fidget.

"It seems you were half right. We can't be friends."

Her gaze flew to his face. _What is he saying? I never said that. _She opened her mouth to rebuke him.

"It would be too troublesome." he laughed deprecatingly.

"You see, I'm in love with you."

* * *

**Please review. :)**


	10. Konoha Festival Day 3: Death & Fireworks

**AN: **_I know. Epic hiatus. Belated Happy Halloween everyone! XD_

_I recently got a new job (exciting, yeah!) but still kept on working with my other projects. That and all the other drama in my life ruined my writing schedule. T_T_

_So. Day 3 of the Konoha Festival is short and sweet. I was thinking of still spreading it to two chapters but felt that for the events happening here, it's much better served short. :)_

* * *

Tenten stood in front of the memorial stone letting the voices of the priests wash over her. It was the beginning of the last day of the festival. The entire village lined n rows behind her. All the shinobi ranks in front and the civilians and visiting guests in back. In front of her and her fellow shinobi stood the memorial stone where the names of their dead comrades were listed.

A gust of wind blew past and she felt a brush on her cheek. She lifted a hand and got it tangled in a wave of hair that belonged to the tall shinobi standing beside her. Tenten immediately pulled it away from her sharply.

"Ow." Neji gave her a sidewise frown.

"Gomen." Tenten muttered. "The wind, you see…" she stopped explaining after noticing his attention had already returned to the ceremony happening in front.

Tenten inwardly sighed. _Baka. Way to be childish about it. Just accept it already. He's never going to see you as anything more than a teammate. _She stared bleakly at the strand of black hair in her hand. She rubbed it between her fingers before letting it go, watching as it floated away in the wind.

She closed her eyes briefly and let out a small breath. _No more pity party. Time to buck up, Tenten._ She squared her shoulders and stared resolutely forward. She'll bury anything she's ever felt for Neji and she's going to be happy for him and Ino. She'll move on and think of this as a bad episode in her life that needs to be forgotten.

She never saw Neji slip her another, longer glance.

o00o

"Sakura! Over here!" Sakura turned and saw Naruto was waving energetically in the air. With him were the rest of Team 8. Everybody was wearing their standard shinobi uniform in deference to the Sumidagawa festival for the dead.

Sakura waved back and made her way towards her friends, "Hi guys."

"Where's Ino?" asked Kiba.

"I don't know."

"Didn't you guys come here together?"

Sakura scratched her lip with a finger, "Umm, well…when I woke up she's already left." She looked around the milling crowd. "She's probably here somewhere."

"Ano…" Hinata piped up hesitantly. "Neji-san and the others are over there." She pointed in the direction of a huge cherry blossom tree that stood in a line with other cherry trees acting as sentinels to the entrance of the memorial area.

"Did you see Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto fell in step with glanced at the blonde, "Yeah, but he left before I could speak to him. I wish he was coming with us for the mission."

They continued to walk in silence, lagging behind the others. "Have you packed your stuff yet?" Sakura asked Naruto quietly.

"Yeah." Naruto answered shortly, his eyes glinting. "Sakura…"

"Hm?"

"This mission….whatever happens, we bring Sasuke back, all right?" Naruto looked at Sakura fiercely.

Sakura remained silent. She was more realistic than Naruto. Though she had high hopes, she knew the odds of them succeeding were grim. She was already prepared to take drastic measures when necessary.

Naruto suddenly grabbed her arm, "Sakura-chan. We'll bring him back." He took hold of her other arm, turning her to face him, "I promise you. We'll bring him back."

Sakura looked at Naruto and smiled. "Yeah, we will."

Naruto gave her a blinding smile in return and let her go. She watched as he bounded ahead of the others and hit Lee on the arm, inciting the other to hit back.

Sakura's smile slowly fell. She looked back at the memorial stone with sad eyes. _Sasuke-kun._

o00o

Ino stepped out from the shadows and looked down at the people dispersing from the memorial area. She had paid her respects to the dead earlier that day, not being able to sleep after what happened last night. She waited by the top of the valley, hidden from view, as people came in for the ceremony.

_"You see, I'm in love with you."_

Ino continued to gaze down unseeing, her mind preoccupied with Shikamaru's revelation. She looked up at the sky, remembering how she'd go looking for him in the past and find him lying down in the grass gazing up at the clouds.

How could things between them unravel so quickly?

_Flashback:_

_"Gomenasai." Shikamaru repeated, his face white with strain._

_Ino bit her lip. It's getting awkward._

_Another long pause. _

_Ino started to fidget._

_"It seems you were half right. We can't be friends."_

_Her gaze flew to his face. What is he saying? I never said that. She opened her mouth to rebuke him._

_"It would be too troublesome." he laughed deprecatingly. _

_"You see, I'm in love with you."_

_Ino's eyes widened. _

_"I've been avoiding you because it bothered me to be around you. When I figured out why, I handled it badly."_

_Shikamaru's face tightened. "Pushing you and forcing you like that….I messed up."_

_A muscle worked spasmodically in his throat, his eyes shadowed. "Gomenasai." _

_Shikamaru gazed down at her pale face. He couldn't stay her friend and watch her be with another man. It would slowly kill him to have a front row seat to that. A constant reminder that he failed in the one thing that was most important to him. _

_He waited for her response. He didn't like imposing himself like this but, Ino deserved an explanation. It was the least he can do before making a clean break of things._

_His hands clenched into fists. _

_Her gaze fell. Ino turned her head away. _

_A long silence passed between them._

_"Okay then." Shikamaru exhaled. "Got it. I won't bother you anymore." _

_He gazed at her turned down head. "I'd walk you home but I don't think you'd want the company." His face pale, Shikamaru started walking away. He walked until the end of the street and turned back to look for her. He found Ino still standing in the middle of the street with her head bent. He waited until he saw her go towards Sakura's house._

_*End flashback*_

Shikamaru shook his head free of the memory.

"Oy, snap out of it, Shikamaru." a beefy hand holding a barbecue stick was waved in front of him. He pushed it away and looked up at the concerned face of his friend.

"I should head to the barracks and replenish my weapons." he muttered. The pair were at a tonkatsu food stall. After the early ceremony, he joined Chouji and trailed after his friend as Chouji went after one food stall to the next.

Chouji frowned, "What for? It's the last day of the festival. What would you need weapons for."

Forgetting that he hasn't said anything to Chouji about the mission, Shikamaru offered a short answer, "Nothing. Just want to be fully stocked for training."

"Well, you can do that later." Chouji grumbled. "Let's go meet up with Ino and the rest already. Err…I mean…unless you want to go elsewhere…."

"It's fine." Shikamaru answered shortly. "They're probably at the fair grounds." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and began walking.

Chouji soon followed, keeping a steady stream of chatter that kept Shikamaru from dwelling on the night before. They soon saw their friends browsing through a display of fireworks. Kiba and Naruto were clearly over the moon with the amount of firecrackers, jumping jacks, and smoke balls they were busily grabbing. Sakura was uncertainly looking over a pink sparkler in the shape of a star that Lee gushingly presented to her. Shino was helping Hinata choose a selection of sparklers that, when they came nearer and hear their conversation, was going to be given as presents to her young cousins. Surprisingly, Tenten, the infamous weapons mistress, looked disinterested in it all and was instead busy chatting up the male assistant of the shop.

Chouji went up to Neji, "Hey Neji."

Neji turned away from staring at Tenten and the assistant to briefly greet Chouji in return, "Hello Chouji, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru's face twisted in a quick grimace, "Hey."

"Ahh...so," Chouji coughed hurriedly. "What are you guys planning to do today?"

"I visited my father's grave and have offered prayers to my ancestors. The rest of the day will probably be spent…shopping…" at this, Neji's face turned pained. "…for tonight's festivities, though I would much rather do something else."

"Oh come, my friend! Tonight's fireworks are sure to be a visual extravaganza!" exclaimed Lee. "We should throw ourselves whole-heartedly into the preparations if we are to do justice to the last day of the festival!"

He threw both arms over Neji and Shikamaru. "What say you we get a bouquet of sparklers for our chosen lady loves?" Lee waggled his brows at the pair. "Surely, it would _spark fireworks_ to give such an original gift!" He whirled around and pulled out a wrapped bundle and offered it to Sakura. "Sakura-san, for you. Only the most colorful of lights to brighten your evening!"

Behind Lee, Neji adjusted his yukata while Shikamaru stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets. Chouji had already wandered over to Kiba and Naruto to see what they were crowing over. Shikamaru shot Chouji's back a dark look. _Coward._

Shikamaru blew out air and looked around, "So, any plans for tonight?"

Neji looked up, "Well, yes. The fireworks show." He gave a final tug on his belt before resuming his observation of Tenten and the assistant.

Following his gaze, Shikamaru continued, "I meant…never mind." He noticed Neji's eyes narrow as the shop assistant took hold of Tenten's hand and place a small object in her palm.

"I think the guy likes her." Shikamaru offered.

"Yes, I see that." Neji answered. "Excuse me." With that, Neji suddenly strode off towards Tenten.

Briefly distracted by what he saw, Shikamaru soon returned to the present with what he heard next.

"Ano…Ino-san is not meeting us?"

Keeping his back turned, pretending to browse the merchandise, he continued to listen.

"I don't know. We're supposed to meet up later to look for a good spot for the show."

"Do you think we should get her sparklers too?"

Shikamaru picked out a sparkler wrapped in blue paper and turned it over. Gold scroll work designs ran up the shaft.

"She might have bought some already."

"Still, there's no harm in getting more sparklers."

"Hmmm…let's get these purple ones for her. She likes purple."

Shikamaru put the blue sparkler back on the shelf.

o00o

"Excuse me." Neji interrupted Tenten and the assistant. He looked coolly at the shop assistant. "I think my friends need your help with their purchases."

The guy excused himself and went away. Neji turned to look at Tenten who was already bent over sifting through a barrel of colorful firecrackers.

"What are you doing?" Neji asked quietly.

Tenten turned to face him, holding up a long line of multi-colored firecrackers. "I think these would be fun for later, don't you think?"

Neji gazed at her silently.

"Can you spare some change? I didn't bring enough to cover for these." Tenten asked nonchalantly. Hearing no response from the tall shinobi, Tenten sighed and dropped the fireworks back in the barrel. "Too bad then."

She started to walk away when Neji's hand came up and took hold of her arm. "Hey!"

With his other hand he took hold of her palm and opened her fist to reveal a glass vial containing white powder. "Did he give this to you?" Neji asked quietly.

"Yes, so?" she replied and jerked her arm away.

"That looks like acetone peroxide."

"So it is."

"You know it can be highly unstable if it's not prepared properly."

"Don't you think I know that?" Tenten flicked her hair irritatedly and pocketed the vial. "We were talking shop and I happen to mention that I specialized in weapons and have been building my knowledge of explosives. He offered the acetone peroxide for my research.

Chill, okay? Yukio knows what he's doing." she gestured at the shop front. "This is a well-known supplier of fireworks and he's the son of the owner. He knows what he's doing." she repeated.

Neji's face remained inscrutable. "You're on first name basis now?"

"Well, we have been chatting for a while now." Tenten replied wryly.

"I think you should return the vial. It could be very dangerous carrying that around especially with all these fireworks around the place." Neji said forbiddingly.

Tenten looked at him askance. "Do you know how hard it is to get this compound? I'd have to jump through circus hoops lit on fire with a lion waiting below just to get the permission form and good luck getting Tsunade-sama signing the damn thing. She'd blow her top if she even knew I was thinking of asking for this."

"Precisely," Neji said coldly. "Because the Godaime knows you are not experienced enough to handle that substance."

Tenten looked at the furrowed brow of her teammate and exhaled. "Fine." She lifted a hand and rubbed Neji's forehead gently with two fingers. "Stop worrying. You don't look good with wrinkles." She gave him a small smile.

He wrapped his hand over her fingers and brought her hand down. He continued to look at her enigmatically.

"What?" she asked, her voice high.

Tenten's breath caught in her chest when she felt a light touch sliding against her palm. She wondered why Neji would be drawing circles on her hand. She eyed him nervously as he leaned closer until he was a hair's breath away.

"Stop distracting me and hand over the vial." he said in a low voice.

She continued to gaze at him mutely. He was so close that her lips would touch his just by tipping her head an inch forward. She never felt him reach inside her pouch and take out the vial until he leaned back and raised the small container in front of her face.

"Knowing you, you won't be able to help yourself. You'd still keep this if I don't take this away from you myself."

He gave her a small frown before facing the shop assistant. "Excuse me, Yukio-san, may I have a word?"

Tenten pondered what he said. _Distracting him? _

She gave herself a sharp shake and pursed her lips ruefully. _Didn't you just say you weren't going to entertain this anymore? It's not going to happen. Move on. _She saw Yukio glance at her questioningly, the returned vial in his hand. She gave a shrug and pointed at Neji while making sawing motions with her hand over her throat. Yukio burst out laughing. She stopped abruptly when she drew Neji's attention with her vigorous pantomine. His frown deepened. She smiled grimly at the Hyuga genius and turned her back.

She approached Hinata and Sakura and said brightly, "So, what are you guys talking about?"

o00o

It was seven in the evening. The fireworks display have started. Ino looked up at the kaleidoscope of colors from her perch in the rooftop of the palace. She was far from the fair grounds but the palace rooftop did offer a clear view of the show. She spent the entire day ruminating about the events from last night. She still couldn't believe that Shikamaru confessed to her. Not to mention her truly tactless silence response. She winced at the memory.

She leaned back and laid down on the cement ground. Ino gazed distantly at the fireworks.

_Shika-kun. _

She raised an arm and traced the path of a blossoming chrysanthemum in the sky. For some reason, the sparks reminded her of Shikamaru's spiky hair when in a ponytail.

_This doesn't feel right._

Ino closed her eyes.

_Why couldn't I say anything to him? Am I really afraid of ruining our friendship? As it is, isn't it pretty messed up now?_

_Shika-kun, why did things have to get so complicated between us? Why am I so lost?_

_I don't know how I feel anymore. _

Ino turned on her side and let the distant lights of the fireworks wash over her.

o00o

Shikamaru slipped through the barracks entrance. He immediately headed for the armaments shelving. Shikamaru started picking out all the items he was low on and placed them on a row on the table. With the fireworks event wrapping up, he told his team to get ready and meet up in an hour.

His pack was already tightly secured on his back. All he'd have to do now is catalogue what he took from the inventory and surrender the form after he returned. The Godaime already knew he'd be taking supplies and had already prepared the necessary documents to justify the missing inventory for the meantime. He stood in front of the table and started listing down all the weapons he took.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and froze when he saw Ino through the doorway. Ino gazed back at him with wide eyes. For a second they just looked at each other.

Breaking eye contact, Shikamaru returned his attention to the form on the table.

"Ahh…what are you doing here?" Ino asked hesitantly, her cheeks reddening.

Shikamaru continued to stare blankly at the inventory form. He finally answered brusquely, "I'm not here to ambush you, if that's what you're asking." He started writing again.

"I didn't say that." she said quietly.

Ino went through the doorway and came closer to him. She inspected the row of weapons in front of Shikamaru.

"It looks like you're packed for a long mission."

Shikamaru rolled up the scroll and started methodically gathering the weapons and placing them in his belt and pouch. He kept his gaze away from hers. "It's better if you don't say you saw me here."

She looked at him searchingly, "You never said anything. You usually tell me or Chouji. We all agreed we'd inform the others if we're not part of the same mission."

Shikamaru didn't answer. He finished packing up and started to walk past her. "I've got to go."

"Shika-kun!"

Shikamaru paused. He held his breath and waited for her to continue.

….

….

….

"Ahh…s-stay safe."

Shikamaru released the breath he was holding, "Thanks." he said shortly and continued to walk out.

Ino inwardly beat herself for her uncertainty. _What am I so afraid of? This is Shikamaru we're talking about. Your closest and longest friend in your entire life. Despite everything that's happened, Shikamaru will always be Shikamaru. Why am I hesitating? I've got to talk to him._

Whirling around, her heart pounding, Ino ran out into the hall and into the yard, surprising the nin guarding the entrance.

"Shikamaru!"

Ino looked around at the empty lot. The guard behind her came up to her and took hold of her arm. "Hey! Where did you-oh, it's just you Yamanaka."

Ino looked up at the guy holding her. She vaguely remembered seeing him at one of the general meetings held during training.

"What were you doing inside the barracks?" The shinobi guard inspected her suspiciously.

Ino pointed at the rooftop. "I wanted a better view."

The shinobi checked his log book and saw an entry with her name on it. "You've been up there for a while." he observed. "We had a shift change an hour ago which is why I didn't see you come in." He continued to eye her distrustfully.

"Look, I've other places to be. I'm sorry, I fell asleep while up there. If you're not charging me with anything, can I please go?" she asked as calmly as she could.

The guard gave her another look before releasing her arm. "All right. We'll be reviewing the log later this morning and if anything's missing you'll be getting a visit."

Giving an impatient nod, Ino turned and sprinted for the main gates.

o00o

Shikamaru surveyed the five people in front of him. "We'll rendezvous with the Suna and then proceed from there." At this statement, he received an affirming nod from Temari. "I've been informed that Kakashi-san will be meeting us halfway to Suna with recon intel." At his announcement, excited chatter erupted from Naruto while Sakura just looked worriedly surprised.

He gave Naruto a look until the blonde quieted down. "Remember what the Godaime said; we cannot fail."

Giving one last look at the village and thinking of what he was leaving behind, Shikamaru faced the forest path and leaped upward. The rest of the team followed him.

A few moments later, Ino pulled up short in front of the guard house, her ponytail whipping forward with her sudden stop.

"Nara Shikamaru's team?" she snapped at the two nin guarding the gates.

They gave her a curious look. One of them answered her, "We didn't have anybody come through here."

Ino gazed out at the forest, her eyes searching. _Shika-kun. I wanted to tell you._

* * *

**Please review. :)**


	11. Interlude

**AN:** Yeah...I suck. Took me two days shy of a year to update. I am so sorry. I'll try to update faster but given my track record and the way my calendar is shaping up, I'm doomed. Doomed, I tell you. Anyway, here you go. Hope you like. Reviews are always encouraging and always get me to write faster. Happy Halloween, everyone!

* * *

"I don't get it. Why do I get to play his wife?" Tenten jerked a thumb in Neji's direction.

The tall shinobi's eyes narrowed.

"You can't play a vamp to save your ass." Ino answered flatly. "Deal with it."

Ino took out a deep emerald green cheongsam from the bag on the floor. She fished out the sky high stilettos that came with the dress as well as the pouch of accessories to go with the outfit. The rest of the contents, a matching kimono and yukata set, she handed over to Neji.

"You're not even Chinese!" Tenten protested.

"Ten," Ino turned to face the other girl, "no offense, but playing a bad girl out for a wild time is so not in your repertoire. Back me up here." she shot a look at Neji.

"Hmmn. I don't know." Neji murmured. He let his eyes wander over Tenten. "She might be able to pull it off."

"Oh give me that!" Cheeks flaming, Tenten snatched the kimono from Neji's hands. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

The three of them were standing in a secluded clearing two kilometers outside of the city of Noba. They've been given an undercover mission by the Godaime to investigate the suspected illegal activities in the clubs inside the city. The intel they had told of a drug ring that preyed on unsuspecting young girls that entered their clubs who are then abducted and sold to their richer clientele with a more depraved bent.

Ino motioned for Neji to turn around. With no more than a raised eyebrow, he turned his back to the two girls and started to undress.

For a second both Ino and Tenten stood transfixed appreciating the muscles rippling on Neji's pale back.

"Uhmm. Shouldn't you be changing as well?" Neji paused with the top of the yukata halfway over his head.

"Right!" Both of them snapped around guiltily and hurriedly started changing.

o00o

"Ok. What's our story?" Ino asked.

"We just got married and are on our honeymoon." Neji placed an arm over Tenten's shoulders. "We left our luggage by the port to be brought in to the Shibuku Inn where we are checked in. Now, we're on our way out to the hottest club in town, The Red Lantern."

Ino noted that Tenten tensed up as soon as she felt Neji place his hand on her shoulder. "And I've just received news that I've inherited a small fortune from a favored aunt, quit my apprenticeship at the village and traveled to the city to seek a better future. I'm currently renting a flat at Blossom St. Now, I'm headed to the Red Lantern to celebrate my new found freedom."

Tenten nodded stiffly.

"We go in for recon until 3am. Meet up at 4am here."

"Got it."

The three flash-jumped away and reappeared inside the city limits. They were there only for a few days, their covers already set in place by the shinobi team who did the intel for them. Their mission involved tracking the drug trail up to the heads of the cartel. Take them down and rescue the girls. In particular, Aya Miyakuzi, great grand niece of the daimo of a neighboring city to Konoha.

Inside the club the music was pulsing. Noba was a premier city set on a country outside the influence of Konoha. Which probably was why the drug cartel snatched up Aya Miyakuzi so carelessly. They didn't know her ancestral line or her political connections and the crap storm those facts were soon going to bring in on their city.

Ino made her way to the bar. "A shot of your strongest drink." She yelled at the bartender. The gruff man nodded and took a bottle off the top shelf with yellow gold liquid and poured her drink in a tiny glass. Ino downed it in one gulp, smacked the shot glass back down on the bar and yelled out at the bartender, "Another!"

The bartender threw her a small grin and poured another shot. Ino threw her head back, her blonde hair shining gold, and swallowed the burning liquid in one go.

The skin tight cheongsam with the oval cutout right at the center of her chest and neck drew stares as her throat worked on getting the alcohol down. The sleek waterfall of golden hair curling sensuously at the end of her back combined with the shamelessly short skirt of the dress and the spiky heels made clear just what kind of night she was bent on having.

Pretty soon she was surrounded by a bevy of men vying for her attention. The intel they got said to look for a guy named Yuri Makoto. Tall, lean, with green eyes, brown hair and a dusky complexion. He was the right hand man of the owner of the club.

Ino continued to carelessly eye the room, laughing along with the joke the guy to her right said. Two of the other guys around her gave a frown to the first and started to chat her up. She listened with half an ear, her concentration still on scoping the perimeter.

"Can I buy you a drink?" a voice whisper/shouted in her ear. Ino twisted to look into a pair of glittering green eyes. The man was at least a foot taller than her and had wavy ash brown hair. He had smoothly elbowed his way between the men around her and gave them a look that made them back away.

She leaned in close and cupped a hand over his ear. "Your eyes match my dress."

The guy let out a low laugh. "So they do. What's your name?"

"Mia. You?" She leaned back in her seat giving the guy an unrestricted view of her front where the oval cutout nicely framed her cleavage.

The man's eyes immediately fell on that area. "Yuri." His lips curved into a smile. "How about that drink?"

_Finally._ She bent her head and hid a triumphant smile. She quickly grabbed the bar list and scanned through it. She spotted a cocktail that sounded interesting. Sake, vodka, green tea liqueur and salted cherry blossom. "Let's try the Shungyo."

o00o

"If you continue to be this rigid, no one will believe we are on our honeymoon."

Tenten stiffened further in Neji's embrace. The club was packed. The crush of people meant Neji had to stay really close to Tenten, invading her personal space. Each time she inhaled carried the warm scent of his skin, his hair brushing tantalizingly against her cheek. It was getting difficult driving away the heat that was suffusing her face.

She chose to ignore his words. After all, with the pounding sound and the babble of voices, it was easy to pretend she didn't hear him. She deftly moved out of his arm and started to squeeze through the press of people in front of her.

"I see a table free. Come on!" She yelled over her shoulder.

A tightening of the lips was all the emotion the Hyuga showed. He strode after her, the people in his way parting hurriedly after a quick glance at his expression.

As soon as they reached the table, Tenten waved at one of the roving waiters. When she saw the waiter nod at her and beginning to make his way to them, she turned to Neji and half-shouted, "What are you having?"

"A glass of shochu. Neat." he replied.

"Alright."

The waiter appeared at her elbow. Tenten turned and smiled at him.

"Welcome to Red Lantern! What are you guys having?" yelled the waiter smilingly.

"A glass of shochu. Neat. A bottle of sake and an order of mixed sushi. Thanks!" Tenten answered, raising her hand against her mouth to be better heard.

"Be back in 10." The waiter nodded and left.

It was strange to be in the middle of a loud, crowded party and be so discomfited at the same time. She tried to relax and look around her. _Ino should be arriving soon._ Tenten thought. She tried to ignore the penetrating stare that was practically burning a hole through her skin. She snuck a glance Neji and found him blatantly staring at her.

"What?" Tenten hunched her shoulders.

Neji leaned closer and murmured against her ear. "We are not convincing anybody about our recent nuptial happiness. We can discuss what's bothering you at a later time. Now is not it. "

He gave her a look that spoke volumes.

"Forgive me if I find it hard to play the besotted bride to your smitten groom." She scoffed sarcastically.

She hated this undercover assignment. So what if I'd make a clumsy party girl? Better that than being trapped playing a role that was too close to the reality she hungered for. She quickly tamped down those insidious thoughts before they made her anymore maudlin. Self-pity is not an emotion she wanted to become familiar with.

Neji just continued to look at her.

"Oh, hell. Fine. I'll try to act all sweet and sugary." she said crossly. "Mind you, _try_, is the operative word."

The corners of his lips lifted slightly. "I don't think it would be too hard an act to play."

Tenten's gaze shot up to him. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. _What the hell does he mean?_

"Looks like our order is here…_Princess_." Neji murmured. His hand stole around her and rested possessively against her waist.

She swallowed the yelp that nearly escaped her and faced their server with a smile.

"Here are your drinks; shochu and a bottle of sake. And one order of mixed sushi." After placing their food and drinks on the small table, the tidy-looking man gave them a smile and asked. "Would you be ordering anything else?"

Before Tenten could respond, Neji answered smoothly, "Yes, we've heard of your city's fame for your _fugu _speciality. We'd like to order _fugu_ sashimi to celebrate our honeymoon."

At this announcement, their server gave them a brilliant smile and was gushing congratulations at them. His eyes widened after Neji handed him a small heavy pouch laden with money.

"That should cover our bill for the night." Neji turned his gaze to Tenten. He touched her jaw, his hand warm against her cheek. "I want my wife to have the best night of her life." he said softly.

Tenten couldn't help the involuntary shiver that coursed through her at those words. She could almost believe what he was saying to be true. She gave a weak smile at the retreating waiter, grabbed the glass of shochu and took a big gulp.

Which she immediately choked on and nearly spewed all over their luscious sushi.

A strange sound quickly muffled from right behind her made her pull away from the tall shinobi. She kept an arm out against Neji's chest.

"Did you just laugh?" She asked in surprise.

Neji took hold of the hand on his chest and brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving her face. "You should stick to sake…_Princess._ Shochu is a bit too strong for you."

Tenten eyed him uncertainly. _What was going on? _She was experiencing a severe shock at the complete turn around in personality from the normally icy Hyuga.

Neji took a step closer, pulling her arm over his shoulder and placing his other hand lightly over her hip. He bent his head, his face hidden against the arch of her neck. "Play along, wife."

She took a deep breath, her nose buried in his glossy hair, her eyes closing. _Why not? One night, two, for however long this mission will take I can be free with him._

She tipped her head back until she could look at him. For a moment they just gazed at each other, immune to the deafening music, letting the beat wash over them.

The arrival of their _fugu _sashimi broke the spell. But, that long moment in each other's embrace staring exclusively at one another convinced whomever was looking their way that they were indeed the honeymoon couple they pretended to be.

o00o

Ino was dancing with abandon. Her hips moving sinuously to the music with her arms held high. Her head beat from left to right, the cascade of blonde hair curling and tangling in a sexy mess.

She felt Yuri's hands grasp hold of her hips. He was practically grinding against her, his breath warm against her neck.

She didn't care anymore if Yuri was a bad guy and one of the names in this mission's list of targets. For one song she was going to forget the past miserable weeks and just dance it off.

Yuri whipped her around to face him. Startled, her arms smacked clumsily against his chest. Yuri's arms tightened around her back pulling her uncomfortable close. He lowered his head to the kunoichi.

Ino let out a coy laugh and turned her face away. "Whoa. Slow down, sweetie."

"How about you get me a drink to wash this thirst away?" She tapped a her forefinger lightly against his jaw, smiling playfully. She felt his jaw clench and relax imperceptibly.

He smiled languidly, "Whatever you want, beautiful."

Yuri pulled away and moved towards the bar, "Be back in a few."

Ino gave another throaty laugh, spun slowly and started dancing again. When she saw Yuri get out of sight, she stopped dancing and made her way to the exit. She had no intention of ending the night in whatever fantasy Yuri pictured her in. She got the information she needed from him and it was better to leave him wanting for the mysterious blonde and keep her on the top of his mind. It would come in handy for their next plan.

She carefully eyed the club, watchful for a glimpse of Yuri or her two teammates. It was nearly 3AM. She had a little over an hour to get back to their team's meeting place to regroup.

So focused was she in making her exit cleanly she didn't notice a pair of dark eyes with a crimson glint observing her progress. The shadowy figure moved deeper into the gloom of a corner of the club. The wave of people flowed over the vacated space not even noticing the dark presence previously standing there.

"Ino Yamanaka." The barest whisper escaped the shadow. "A fortuitous opportunity this."

o00o

The trio regrouped at the outskirts of town and shared intel. They kept it short mindful of the risk of being seen at so late an hour.

Ino looked at Neji. "Aya Miyakuzi is probably held inside the kabuki theater. There's going to be a charity party held at the theater in three days time. I've already secured an invitation from Yuri for said party."

Neji looked at her sharply. "From what intel gave us, these parties are fronts for the gathering of the rich patrons that will actually be bidding on the abducted girls."

Ino nodded. "Exactly."

"How do we know that the target is really held in the theater?" Tenten asked.

"There is no other scheduled gala in the next few weeks." Ino answered. "Intel said a big caravan carrying the last of the visiting big wigs attending the charity gala will be arriving tomorrow. The timescale fits."

"Tomorrow we'll head to the theater and secure our invitations as well." Neji looked at Tenten.

"That's why you ordered the _fugu_! Our very expensive dinner would already alert the people involved in the actual charity that a wealthy couple is in town." Tenten said slowly. "It would look strange to turn us down if we make it appear we'd like to make a donation."

"Precisely." Neji agreed, smiling thinly.

Their plan outlined for the next day, they quickly wrapped up their meeting and flash-jumped away.

o00o

Neji slid open the door to their hotel room. He abruptly halted and silently surveyed the mammoth object in front of him. He felt Tenten poke him on the back.

"Can you move it? You're blocking the way."

He moved further into the room already predicting an outburst from the nin behind him.

"Hey, have you seen-WHAT IS THAT?!" Tenten shrieked.

She stared aghast at the gigantic bed dominating the entire area. It was epic. Elevated on a platform , the mattress at least spanned two meters on each side. It was strangely shaped, roundish instead of the typical rectangular with a dip in in the center. King-size plump pillows placed side by side with another plump bolster nestled in the middle. The entire bed was covered in a shimmery blush colored fabric that looked like a cross between suede and raw silk. Scattered on the bed were exotic blooms in varying shades of red. Lush sashes of fabric draped from the ceiling framed the mattress.

It looked for all the world like a giant vagina.

Tenten slowly approached the bed, her eyes riveted. As she got closer she noticed a glint of light from above the mattress. Looking up she emitted another shriek. A mirror hung suspended above the bed reflecting the glow of the lamp on the bedside table.

She whirled and faced the tall shinobi. "I am NOT staying here."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"You can't want to stay here with this-this…!" Incoherent with outrage, she threw an arm out towards the bed.

"It's just a bed, Tenten," Neji glanced around the room. "and this is the honeymoon suite."

She stomped towards the door, "I am getting our rooms changed this instant."

"And risk breaking our cover?"

Tenten wanted to grab her hair. "No one can expect us to stay here! It's gross!"

"Even if we are supposed to be a couple on their honeymoon, we can still be expected to want normal accommodations!" she ranted.

She spied a strange looking figurine on an end table. Coming closer, she let out another outraged squeak. The figurine depicted a half naked man and woman coupling. Wheeling around she saw that the entire room was decorated similarly with erotic little statues and paintings and suggestive shapes in the the light fixtures, even down to the pattern on the _freaking_ wall paper.

Breathing heavily, she prepared to launch into another tirade.

"Enough, Tenten." Neji broke in before she could even open her mouth. "It is late and we'll need our rest for tomorrow's operation."

She watched him walk over to a set of trunks that had been placed near the door. The porter had apparently already deposited their luggage before their arrival. Neji opened one of the trunks and drew out a change of clothing. He straightened and walked towards her.

He held out the clothes to Tenten. "You better change."

Wordlessly, she grabbed the nightclothes and stomped through the archway leading to the en suite bathroom. _Oh what I'd give for a door I can slam right now!_

After a quick shower, she dried herself with a towel and hastily pulled on the nightclothes Neji gave her. She went up to the vanity mirror and started finger combing her wet hair. It was only then that she saw what she was wearing.

Her eyes widened and her mouth drop open. _What were they thinking?!_ She thought furiously about tracking down the advance team and pinning down for a good beating whoever was in charge of preparing their supposed wardrobe.

What she had thought was a standard tank top and shorts was actually a stretchy diaphanous material that clung to the curve of her breast and clearly showed the shadow of her nipples. The fabric was cinched at the center and fell to drape over her taut abdomen. The shorts were cut high and tight with lace trimming displaying a generous amount of thigh and the cheeks of her bottom. _Who wears this?!_

Horrified at the idea that Neji might see her in such a get up she gave a quick inspection of the bathroom for anything to cover her.

"Tenten, are you done yet? I need to shower as well."

"In a minute!" she called out. She grabbed her wet towel and wrapped it around her, tying the ends to hold it in place.

When she stepped out, Neji had already stripped down to the waist, seated on the bed and was occupied with removing his shoes.

She swiftly sidled against the wall, keeping away from Neji, heading to the trunks. _Surely, there's something else I can wear._

"What are you doing?" Neji had his arms propped on his thighs and was looking at her quizzically.

Caught in the ridiculous position of creeping around him with her back flat against the wall, she cleared her throat and moved away from the corner. "Nothing."

She swore she saw amusement lighting his eyes. She shrugged her shoulders coolly and tried hard to keep her gaze from going below his chin. "So I guess I'll take the floor."

Neji stared at her. "There's a perfectly good bed right here."

"Yeah well, I'm fine with sleeping on the floor."

The look he gave her made it clear he was't taking any of her excuses. He stood up, the loose hakama low on his waist. He padded on bare feet to the bathroom.

"Use the bed, Tenten. I'll take the floor." Neji disappeared into the bathroom.

Now she felt like crap. After all, they both needed rest and sleeping on the hard floor definitely wasn't going to give that. She exhaled. Unknotting the wet towel, she slung it over a chair and climbed the bed. She sat cross legged and plucked at her now damp camisole.

Now that she was alone, she began to feel on edge. Acting out the moony newlywed was easier to play in public. Alone with him and all the uncertainty rushed back. Her mind flashed back to what happened in the club. Her face got hot, remembering. _Princess._

Who'd have thought the icy Hyuga can act like that? One touch from him was already too big of a provocation for her. She shook off the shiver that thought brought on. She gave a gusty sigh and flopped back against the pillows. She made a face at her expression reflected on the mirror above the bed, her dark hair fanning out on the pillow. The cool air coming through the window caused her skin to pimple. She grabbed hold of the thick, fluffy blanket with her toes and kicked them upwards. The covers flew in the air and fell lightly on her, cocooning her figure with only her head and shoulders visible.

After a while, she felt more than saw Neji exit the bathroom and cross the bedroom.

"You should share the bed." she muttered. "Like you said. We both need our rest."

Neji stilled. He resumed walking but this time heading to the other side of the bed. He switched the lights off on the way. In the sudden gloom, she felt the mattress dip with his weight and kept still as he got under the covers, waiting for him to get settled.

The way the bed was built with the dip in the middle caused any body on it to slide towards the center.

_Ooomphf!_

Tenten braced her hands against the hard chest inches from her face. A bare chest. "You're naked!"

Scrambling backwards or at least attempting to and failing miserably as she slid back to the center, she hissed, "Why are you naked?!"

She felt a gust of air on her forehead as Neji exhaled. "I have pajama pants on."

"Well, where's the top?!"

"I prefer to sleep without it." She felt him move away. "If you are bothered I can still take the floor."

"No! It's fine! It's fine!" She was glad the darkness hid her flaming cheeks. Her hands were back to bracing against his chest. She didn't want him to think her a prude. "It's just—eew. You're Neji." Pretend disgust colored her voice.

She swore the slight vibration she felt was him muffling a laugh. "Am I so repulsive then?"

"Oh, shut up and go to sleep!"

"How do you propose to do that?" He took hold of her wrists and pulled her hands away from him. She immediately rolled closer until her body collided with his.

"See?"

Tenten pulled one of the king sized pillow out from behind his head and squeezed it between their bodies. She handed him the small bolster pillow. "Use this instead."

Her vision was adjusting in the dark and she could just make out his face in the weak moonlight. He was propped on his elbow, his long hair a silky curtain draped on his lean shoulders.

She turned her back on him with the pillow flush against her back. "Good night."

She felt the bed dip again as he lied back down. The effects of their tiring day soon pulled at her body and and she felt her eyes close.

After a long moment she thought she heard him say, "Good night, Princess."

o00o

* * *

**Fugu sashimi:** Raw blowfish. Extremely poisonous. Can be fatal. Horribly expensive and said to be an aphrodisiac.

**Read? Review! I'll write faster. :)**


	12. Surprise Appearances

**AN:** Meh. I gotta stop promising about 2 week interval updates. This chapter was a bit difficult. Sorta backed myself into a corner and needed to figure out how the next few chapters will turn out. Anyway, Happy holidays everyone! R & R please! :)

* * *

Ino slowed down. She was near the end of Blossom St. and 'Mia's' apartment was just up ahead. _Something's wrong._

She immediately went on alert. Her hand slipped surreptitiously to her thigh, sliding the skirt upward and palming the kunai strapped to her leg. Hey eyes made a sweep of the area in front of her.

Ino took a step back and bumped into an immovable object. Before she could jump away an arm went around her middle trapping her arms to her sides and a callused hand gripped her chin forcing her head to tip upwards.

"You!"

She felt a fiery burn on her arm and let out a pained gasp. A swirl of red was the last thing she saw before her vision faded to black.

o00o

Neji contemplated the kunoichi lying peacefully in his arms. Sometime in the early morning Tenten had kicked the pillow between them down to the foot of the bed. As to be expected, she had rolled in the vacated space ending up crushed against him. He had woken briefly at the disturbance and observed the pale face in front of him.

He brushed an unruly lock of hair away from her cheek. She must have been more exhausted than he thought. She didn't wake up at all even after he slid an arm under her neck to cradle her head against his chest. Neji closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

That was almost four hours ago. Now, shafts of early morning light were passing through the window curtain. He allowed himself a few more minutes to hold her before he gently extricated himself and worked his way off the bed as quietly as possible. He padded softly to the bathroom.

He'd need to be more careful. Any more mornings like this and things would get…_difficult. _

Neji stripped off and entered the shower. He twisted the shower knob with barely restrained violence and welcomed the freezing water that immediately deluged him.

o00o

Tenten blinked sleepily. A rush of memories of the previous night caused her to jackknife to a sitting position. She looked at the space beside her. _No Neji._ She looked around the room and didn't see her teammate anywhere.

That's when she heard the running water from the vicinity of the bathroom. "Neji?"

"I'm nearly done." Neji's voice came muffled through the archway.

Galvanized into action, she quickly pushed off the bed and stood up. She made a beeline for their luggage and started sifting through the clothes inside. Trying to stay casual, Tenten asked, "You want to grab breakfast downstairs or on the way to the theater?"

Burrowing deeper inside the trunk she tugged at what she hoped was a simple dress to wear for the day. The damn thing was caught on one of the rivets on the bottom of the chest and required some delicate maneuvering to untangle without damaging it.

She didn't realize that her position was directly in line to the entrance of the bathroom and with her bent over almost in half, her shorts had risen dangerously high and her top gaped open from below.

"Hey." Tenten called out, her head still buried inside the trunk. "In or out?"

Still no answer. "Neji?"

A hand came into view and pulled the dress free. Tenten sat up or tried to. She smelled the clean scent of soap and something muskier, more masculine. Cold bare skin touched her back. Her breath hitched in her throat. She tilted her head and locked gazes with Neji. He was looking at her long and hard. She had seen that same look when they were in the club. Like he was angry or contemplating a bad memory. She didn't understand it and couldn't figure out why he'd be directing it at her.

"Uh…m-mind backing up?" She automatically hunched her shoulders glaringly aware of her skimpy top and shorts. The air grew taut with tension. She began to fidget awkwardly.

Neji straightened up. The towel wrapped around his waist was riding low. "Here."

She twisted around and took the dress from his outstretched hand. He immediately turned away and headed for the other trunk. "We can get something to eat on the way. It would be faster."

Tenten breathed easier. For a second there Neji had looked almost violent. She hurried into the bathroom putting the weird episode out of her mind.

o00o

A striking couple exited the kabuki theater drawing stares from the passersby. The tall man was helping the woman walk down the front steps his hand held carefully against her back.

"I can't believe they charged us so much for a measly dinner and an hour long show!" Tenten complained. She was mentally calculating the cost of the charity event tickets against her monthly pay as a Konoha shinobi. The numbers dismayed her. "It's at least a year's worth of my salary! And they expect us to make a donation on top of that?!"

Neji shot her an amused look. "Good thing it's not us paying then." His arm wound around her back, his hand curving over her elbow. She didn't like that. It did things to her inside. Messed with her head. Tenten felt her heartbeat pick up.

"You can let go now, you know. We're out of the theater." She tried to pull away from him. He held her more firmly and pulled her closer.

"People are watching."

Looking around, she had to agree. The pedestrians on the street were surreptitiously giving them looks. Quite a few of them were women. A surge of hot jealousy shot through her.

"It's just a bunch of new fangirls." she said irritably. "There's no reason to _cling_ to me."

"Fangirls?"

Tenten glanced at Neji and saw a small frown marring the perfect brow. _Ugh! Why does he have to look so perfect? _She did a quick once over of him. _Stupid Hyuga prodigy._

"Yeah. _Your_ fangirls."

"I don't understand the term." The frown deepened. "Explain."

"What?!" she exploded. "Good god, you have them following you day and night at your compound!"

Neji gave her a look. It said, _Keep your voice down. Do you want to blow our cover?_

"How can you not see that?" Her voice lowered to a more normal decibel. Tenten took a moment to digest what he said.

Her eyes widened when she realized what it meant. "Are you saying you never realized that the reason you practically have an entourage of females following you around is because–because–" at this point words failed her and her arms waffled in the direction of his face. Motioned at his body.

"What?" Neji asked, now looking perplexed. He looked down at himself then back at Tenten, confusion marring his face.

Tenten stopped walking and turned to him. She rolled her eyes. "Ugh! I can't believe you're making me say this."

She took a deep breath and said in a rush. "Girlslikeyou."

"What?"

She shot him an annoyed look. "Girls. Like. You."

Tenten pursed her lips. "Like, _like_ like you. They think _this_", she gestured at him again, "is cute."

He just stared at her in silence. A tick started at the corner of his eye. His mouth tightened and his neck slowly reddened.

Watching his reaction she realized he was discomfited at the revelation. Tenten cocked her head and watched in fascination as the burn on his neck creeped higher until his cheeks were flushed red.

He looked away. "Come on." Neji said tersely.

She could't help it, she burst into laughter. "You never knew. Oh god! That's too funny!" she gasped. Her hands were fisted against her stomach, she was laughing so hard.

"Oh, this is priceless. The great Hyuga prodigy, clueless!"

Neji continued to stand stoically beside her while she laughed herself silly. She was winding down to a snicker when he asked his question.

"So you think it as well?"

"W-what?" she gulped in air, her mouth open in a grin.

"Me. Cute."

That shut her up. Her face was unguarded for a moment as she looked at him with her mouth parted. Whatever he saw written on her face in that split second caused him to smile faintly.

"So, you do."

Tenten snapped her mouth closed. "I do not!" she protested hotly. Now, she felt her cheeks flaming.

Neji moved closer, crowding her. Tenten leaned backwards. She felt him brush his fingertips against her burning cheek. "This tells me differently."

He cupped her jaw and turned her face upward to his gaze. His eyes were drowning pools of grey. She shivered and inwardly berated herself for her lack of control. His thumb was pressed gently against the corner of her bottom lip.

"Vain much?" she muttered, her eyes slanting away. She shook him off and pushed past him.

"Who said I agreed with any of those girls?" she grumbled. "Don't let it go to your head. That forehead of yours can't afford to get any bigger." she sniped pissily at him.

Neji followed behind her a smile still playing on his lips.

o00o

They went over the town for the rest of the day. They needed to get a lay of the land for the mission. Noba was a rich man's playground. Street after street of clubs were followed by gaming houses and pachinko parlors where a simple game of mahjong could raise stakes that have an entire generation's worth of inheritance on the line.

The city didn't sleep. Specialized clubs that catered to unique needs were open at all hours of the day. Exotic tiny pharmaceutical stores sold strange brews in stoppered vials and nasty smelling powders enveloped in flimsy pieces of paper carefully folded in different kinds of origami. The mundane everyday touristy items were also hawked in rickety stalls that thronged the busy main streets. From flower shaped fire crackers to blue-toned goldfish in lucky bowls.

It was too bad the city had such a repellant underbelly fouling the entire image of the tiny municipality. It was actually a nice place to spend a vacation in. Tenten stood by a stall musing over an _uchiwa_ fan and a western _brise_ fan when Neji appeared behind her.

"That one looks more like a sharper version of the _tessen_ fan." he lifted the brise fan closer to view.

"Yeah! I was just thinking that!" Tenten started excitedly. "Remember Temari? From the sand village?"

Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I can use this as a template and make a copy that would be so much cooler than her tessen fan! Instead of flat bamboo panels, I'd use sharpened iron and no one would know I was carrying what's actually an entire blade set with me. It would work great for missions like this! Everyone who saw it would just think it's a fancy foreign lady's fan!" Her eyes sparkled as she stroked the delicately carved bamboo ornament longingly. Getting a template to use as a base for the new weapon she was thinking of would be so nice. It was too expensive though and the Godaime for sure wouldn't approve. They still have the charity event to consider and their pretense as a wealthy honeymoon couple was already straining their allocated mission funds.

Neji gestured the hovering proprietor closer. "We'll take this please." He smiled at Tenten. "My wife would be ecstatic to have this be a part of her collection."

Tenten began to protest. Neji leaned in close and kissed her cheek lightly. "Don't worry, _Princess. _It's a poor gift in exchange for the happiness you've given me." His tone was knowing, his eyes intense.

Tenten understood the show was more for the seller's benefit and the other people browsing in the stall but it still unsettled her. _When did he take acting lessons?_ she groused inwardly. Her hand was itching to rub the cheek where he kissed her. This yo-yoing from doting husband to brooding stranger was getting on her nerves.

They thanked the shopkeeper and left in silence. Tenten held the package close and kept her gaze averted while they walked. Neji looked straight ahead, his long hair sliding over his shoulders.

"We should check in with Ino." Tenten said abruptly.

"Hn." was Neji's only reply.

She guessed they were back to the icy persona. She gave a brief sigh of relief. _This is familiar ground at least._

The meeting with Ino was brief. They had one more day to kill before the charity event and agreed to keep a low profile while they waited out the last arriving guests for the play. They would keep tabs of the arriving delegates for future reference. It paid to know who would be participating in such a perverted auction.

o00o

The day of the auction dawned bright and clear. Ino would have preferred if it was dank and cloudy. The better to underline the filth they were about to sweep clean of the city.

The night before she had gone back to The Red Lantern and sure enough Yuri was there. A little flirting on her part got him over his snit at her disappearance the first time they met. She got him to agree to meet her at the steps of the theater and ended the night unmolested with her unspoken promise of more to come after the kabuki play. Of course, she had no intention of keeping said promise.

She smoothed her hand down the royal blue cheongsam she picked out for the night. It was ankle length with a high slit on both sides that went up to her thighs. The fabric hugged every curve of her body.

She wondered if the tailor for this particular outfit knew a shinobi would be wearing the dress. It looked like silk but had more give than the usually unyielding fabric. It stretched easily when she tried twisting her body from left to right. Assured she'd be able to move in combat while wearing the dress she finished getting ready and lastly, clipped her radio receiver to her ear. It looked like an antique jewelry accessory. Neji and Tenten had something similar and it would be their way of keeping in touch with each other.

Once inside the theater she'd stay by Yuri's side and persuade him to take her to the "backstage" show. Where he said the real action would play out. She knew it to mean that the inevitable high stakes gambling and seedy whoring would be happening behind those closed doors and on the lower level, the auction of the girls would be starting.

Tenten and Neji will be be doing their part to get access to the underground level. She left it up to the pair to plan out how they'll be doing that. She absentmindedly scratched her forearm. It had started to itch two nights ago. Ino couldn't remember if she had anything at the club that caused an allergic reaction. The itch was pretty localized though. She frowned down at her arm. The skin was raised in a weird pattern. A welt formed a spiral with three spots adjacent to each other forming a triangle. She started to scratch the skin again.

"Hey beautiful."

Ino looked up and pasted a smile on her face. "Hey Yuri."

After exchanging a few more flirty comments with the sleazy creep she forced herself to hook her arm with his and go up to the entrance of the theater. When the mission was done, she'll see about getting some antiseptic cream for her arm. And not just because of the mysterious itch.

As she entered she made a slow sweep of the floor making brief eye contact with both Neji and Tenten who were already inside and finished scoping out the room. A lot of the guests were typical high society. Old matrons and dignified gentlemen mingling with foreign dignitaries with young showy girls clinging to their arms. Bodyguards were everywhere bristling with controlled aggression. _They might be trouble._ Ino thought.

The kabuki passed quickly. Watching it reminded Ino too much of the Konoha Festival and the events that led to the estrangement with Shikamaru. The persistent thoughts were a distraction she couldn't afford.

"So, Yuri you know of anything _fun_ to do?" She gave him a peek through lowered eyes.

He laughed, "Yeah, the play was a dud. Come on." So saying, he grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the milling crowd.

She played along, laughing huskily at his eagerness. In short order, they were in the secret rooms. Around them were gambling tables and gyrating bodies. _Now, to get rid of him._

"Let's get a drink." Ino suggested to Yuri.

She headed to the bar with Yuri following faithfully along. She got him to knock back enough drinks to get tipsy. "Now, come here." she said flirtatiously. Ino pulled him towards one of the dark alcoves hidden in the corners of the room.

When she got him alone, she put her arms around him. Just as he was leaning down, his smile expectant, she delivered a sharp hit against his neck with the side of her palm. She caught him as he collapsed and propped him against a column.

Good thing there were curtains in each alcove. With it drawn, everyone outside would think it was occupied with a couple on a secret tryst and would keep away. This would buy her a few hours at least. Enough time to complete the mission.

Ino peeked through the curtain. When the coast was clear she deftly slipped through and merged with the crowd. She spotted Neji and Tenten and gave them a brief nod.

"They're in the room behind the green door." Neji's voice crackled in her ear.

She lowered her head and let her hair fall over her side shielding her face. "Copy."

She glided towards the door in question where a muscular man stood guard. Sauntering up to him she coyly gestured at the green door.

"What's through there?" she murmured.

The guard leaned closer, "Wouldn't you like to know." His eyes traveled appreciatively over her figure. Ino went up to him, forcing the guard to back against the door.

"Yes, I would."

Unbeknown to the guard, her hands were already forming the ninjutsu for the seals for Shintenshin no Jutsu. The technique had been further refined to include control over the vocal chords thus preventing the guard from yelling his surprise when his body refused to move at his will. Only his eyes showed his panic.

Ino made him turn, a bit jerkily, and open the green door behind them. She made him walk in and followed swiftly behind.

Once through, she gave a brief sweep of the room. It was circular with a double ring of balconies that had box seats stationed every three meters from each other. Each box had a shadowy figure inside. She assumed they were the bidders. Each ring had 10 boxes making it twenty bidders. Below were a group of seven girls and a man in a formal western tuxedo.

Each girl was dressed in a unique fashion. One looked liked a life size doll with her hair in ringlets and wearing a tiny dress with a big bow tied around her waist, another was dressed in a tight kimono with no hakama inside baring the top of her chest and legs. A way to identify them for the bidders sake. One thing they had in common though, they were all dressed skimpily and all looked frightened at the events surrounding them.

Ino homed in on the middle girl wearing a gauzy dress that showed the flimsy underwear she was wearing beneath. _Aya Miyakuzi!_

The nearest bodyguards noticed her and the controlled guard. They started towards her, one of them, his expression irate, was about to open his mouth probably to furiously berate them when they all fell still. Eyes widened in surprise then turned to dismay when they realized they couldn't move or speak.

Ino moved away from the green door. As expected, Neji and Tenten flowed in and flanked her. Even then with all the bodyguards immobile none of the patrons noticed anything amiss. The auction was still underway.

"Hurry. I can't hold them for much longer." muttered Ino.

Neji nodded and together with Tenten, swiftly incapacitated all the paralyzed bodyguards with the use of Gentle Fist while Tenten employed taijutsu. The enemy hit the ground with barely a sound. Still after, the patrons were oblivious to the action going on behind them, their desire to bid on a favored girl taking all of their focus.

"Tenten." Neji pointed to the left hallway.

"I got it." Tenten snapped out. She ran swiftly towards the patron boxes and one by one knocked out the people within.

Neji looked at Ino, "I'll take care of the rest. Get to Aya Miyakuzi."

Ino nodded and leaped over the balcony, landing lightly in front of the girls. Cries from above erupted.

"What's this?"

"Who is–"

"Guards!"

Face calm Ino approached the girl in the gauzy dress. "Aya Miyakuzi."

The girl's eyes widened but her head nodded jerkily. "Yes."

"Your uncle, the daimyo, sent us to rescue you."

Hearing this the girl's knees buckled and she began to fall. Ino stooped and caught her before she reached the floor. "Get up. We need to get away from here first."

Looking around at the frightened faces, Ino said, "Everyone here is getting away."

Neji appeared beside her, soon followed by Tenten. At the sight of more reinforcements a few of the girls started to cry.

"We'll be taking the tunnels. So I need everybody to pair up and stay close together. The guy there is Neji and my other friend here is Tenten. Tenten will lead you while Neji covers us from behind."

Tenten zeroed in on the two girls who seem better composed than the rest. "You, what are your names?"

"Ume."

"Ayuma."

Tenten smiled at them encouragingly. "Let's help each other get out of here, mmkay?"

Both girls nodded obediently. Tenten soon sorted them into pairs with Ume and Ayuma taking care of two of the younger girls and Tenten covering for the two others who were crying. Ino took some of the cloaks from the knocked out guards and used it to cover the girls while Neji kept out a watchful eye from the door.

Their recon earlier showed them where the underground sewers and tunnels connected to the museum. Neji pulled open a grate on the floor situated behind one of the pillars and gestured for Tenten to jump down.

Getting the girls through the cold tunnels went slowly. It wouldn't be long before the alarm was raised and the tunnels would be crawling with guards. Ino looked over the head of Aya at Neji. She raised an eyebrow, nodding towards the ceiling were yelling could be heard. She raised five fingers.

Neji shook his head and surreptitiously raised three fingers.

_Three minutes. _That's all they had before they'd be swarmed by the enemy in the tunnels.

The tunnel they took branched off in different directions. The one they followed led to the outskirts of the town where they first had a mission briefing. The rescue was only supposed to be for the Miyakuzi girl. Bringing along six more girls was slowing them down.

They could probably take down whichever enemy got to them but they'd risk the girls' safety.

She made her way to Tenten pulling the Miyakuzi girl with her. "We need to buy more time."

Tenten glanced at her then looked at the cavelike structure above them. "I'll set a few explosives behind us that will collapse the walls."

Ino took over and lead the girls onwards urging them to hurry. Tenten fell behind and took out a handful of explosive tags from inside her hakama.

"Tenten."

Tenten paused, turning toward Neji who was looking at her with intense eyes.

"Don't take too long."

Tenten flashed him a quick smile. "I'll see you in a bit."

Neji hesitated, then gave a quick jerk with his head. He sped towards the girls.

Tenten slapped the tags on the walls and ceiling of the the mouth of the tunnel. She jumped away and formed the necessary seals for the tags to detonate in sixty seconds.

The explosion happened as she caught up with the group. She caught Neji's eye and gave him a wink. "Told ya!"

"Good job, Ten!" Ino called back.

The corner of Neji's lips lifted. In a few more minutes they could already see the mouth of the tunnel widening into the exit.

o00o

Neji walked around the clearing, securing the perimeter. They also collapsed the exit tunnel once they got everybody out. Ino was taking care of any minor wounds the girls got on their escape while Tenten gave the rest water to drink before they proceeded on their journey.

"There, see. It's alright now." Ino patted the girl's knee reassuringly. Teary-eyed Aya Miyakuzi peeked at the blond kunoichi. Her eyes widened when she saw unblemished skin where there used be bloody scratches.

"Wow! It's completely healed!" She beamed at Ino and threw her arms around her. "Thanks so much!"

Ino let out a surprised chuckle and pulled away. "Everyone is healed and had some rest already. We'll be heading out in a bit to meet with the response team. They'll have medic nins with them as well as your escort caravan."

"Waaa…grandpa is sooo nice. Oooh! I hope it's the big caravan. That way everyone can come in and sit with me when…."

Ino let the girl ramble on happily. She seemed to be no worse for wear given the traumatic time she went through recently.

"Aya Miyakuzi."

Ino whipped around, suddenly alert, both hands holding out a kunai. She felt Neji flash jump into position beside her, the three of them forming a triangle guarding the girls inside.

Ino searched for the source of the chilling voice. The trees rustled with a biting wind. A tall shadow separated from behind one of the oaks and appeared in front of them. The man was wearing a strange black cloak with swirls of red clouds on its surface. The high collar and his long hair obscuring most of his face save for the red glow of his eyes.

"Who are you?" Tenten called out coldly.

"Itachi Uchiha." The answer came from Neji. Shocked, Ino slipped him a quick glance and saw that he had activated his Byakugan.

"Hand over Aya Miyakuzi."

Ino stepped in front of Aya. "Never gonna happen."

The sky was suddenly filled with crows.

"Ino. Tenten." Neji began to spin.

"Hakkesho Kaiten!"

Ino and Tenten grabbed a girl and flash jumped them a short distance away in quick succession. Neji dispersed the shuriken hidden in the birds.

"Katon. Hosenka Tsumabeni."

A blast of chakra infused fire headed straight for Neji. He continued to spin in defense but some of the rebounding flames headed straight for the girls.

Ino threw several kunai to block the incoming flame-infused shuriken. She jumped and hit a flaming shuriken with her foot, a quick turn and she simultaneously hit another with her forearm and leg. She felt the pain of the burn superficially, her mind focused on getting every single target.

Tenten had swiftly unrolled a scroll and formed the hand seals to summon an iron protection wall. A huge iron dome in the shape of an armadillo shell appeared and slammed down over the girls. A gust of dirt and debris flew out from its landing.

Tenten activated a handful of explosive tags attached to kunai and threw them in Itachi's direction.

Itachi suddenly disappeared before their eyes. The next thing Tenten felt was debilitating pain as she was punched in the stomach and hit behind the neck. As she began to fall she saw Ino collapse beside her. The boom of sound from the useless exploding tags echoed in her ears.

Ino couldn't believe how fast Itachi moved when he used the Shunshin no Jutsu. The only thing that registered was the sudden extreme pain she felt against her left shoulder and how her arm just hung uselessly at her side. She felt another blow on her leg right where she burned it with the flaming kunai and a scream of pain involuntarily escaped from her. Her leg broken, Ino fell to her knees causing more pain to crawl over her body. Her body slumped to the ground.

"Itachi!"

Ino's pain-filled eyes widened. A man appeared before Itachi where he stood over a fallen Neji. _When did Neji fall?_

The new stranger wore dark blue pants and a white shirt with a purple rope belt. She saw the glint of the katana that was pointed against Itachi's neck. Ino could only see his back but that tuft of black hair looked familiar. Too familiar. _It can't be?!_

"Sasuke."

Her vision going, she barely heard Itachi utter the name. Ino saw him glance behind Sasuke. She felt the forest behind her explode with activity.

"Another time, then." Itachi disappeared as Sasuke snarled and slashed the air in front of him with his katana. Naruto, Gaara, Sakura, Kakashi and a bunch of other shinobi surrounded Sasuke.

_What's going on? _Ino felt someone taking hold of her shoulders. She hissed in pain. A moment before she completely blacked out she thought she heard Shikamaru's voice calling out to her.

"Ino! Hold on. I've got you."

* * *

**Shintenshin no Jutsu** - Mind Body Switch Technique

**Hakkesho Kaiten** - Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven

**Katon: Hosenka Tsumabeni** - Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson

**Shunshin no Jutsu** - Body Flicker Technique


	13. Reunions and Confessions

**AN: **Guys! You're awesome. I just checked my inbox (after a loooong time) and story stats. Really?! Over 15 followers and so many checked the new chapter as soon as it was up! Awww...thanks guys! Cakes and cookies for everyone! ^_^

* * *

"Ino."

_Shikamaru?_

"Ino."

Ino slowly blinked. There was a blurry figure over her. It slowly cleared into Neji's face.

"Neji." she croaked.

Neji smiled. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Like crap." Ino turned her head to the side. Tenten was lying down unconscious beside her, a shinobi in the Sand Village's uniform healing her. Further along was a wounded Sakura being treated by another medic nin.

"W-what happened?" She looked back at Neji. "Why is Sakura here?" Her eyes widened in horror. "Aya Miyakuzi! The girls–"

"–are fine." Neji gave Tenten a warm look. "Tenten did well."

"I-I don't understand. Why was Itachi after Aya?"

Neji's lips tightened. "We don't know. That is something we will need to investigate quickly."

"Sasuke's appearance. Did I hallucinate that? Naruto, Kakashi, Gaara and Shika–" her voice broke off.

"It was an S-rank mission. The recovery of the Uchiha brothers." Neji answered her silent question.

Ino gasped. Then immediately cringed in pain. She tried to sit up propping her elbows on the ground, forgetting about her recently healed shoulder. Neji cradled her back before she fell back on the dirt.

"Slowly." Neji murmured. Ino nodded gratefully and offered him a small smile.

She surveyed the once pristine clearing. A couple of craters lay in front of her. The oak trees that were shredded probably from explosions and the impacts dealt out by the shinobi combatants. There were patches of burnt ground and bushes reduced to ashes. She saw Gaara surrounded by his guard even though he didn't seem to need them. A muddy Kakashi with a bruised Naruto glowering at a bloody Sasuke. Sasuke was actually encased in a strange glowing gel. He looked like he was suspended in amber with his face frozen and his body immobile. Four shinobi were in position around the jelly like substance encasing Sasuke, performing the seals to secure the prison transport device. At least she assumed that was what it was.

A flash of dark hair drew her gaze. _Shikamaru._ Their eyes met and held. How long had he been looking at her? Ino was suddenly conscious of Neji's supporting arm around her back. Her eyes hungrily drank in his form. He looked leaner and more muscular. His loose hair had gotten longer, almost all the way to the middle of his back. He had a bruised lip and a bleeding cut high on his right cheek. His expression looked forbidding though. He looked so unapproachable.

"Shika–" Ino began to call out.

Shikamaru looked away and walked off.

Ino deflated. She felt Neji's silent gaze. "So, what's gonna happen now?" Ino asked quietly.

There was a pause before Neji answered. "Seeing as our missions seem to have overlapped, I have consulted Kakashi and we have sent a message ahead to the village informing the Godaime of what has happened here. Within an hour we will move to a safer location away from the city before we set up camp. We will wait there until the reinforcements arrive."

Neji glanced over to the cluster of girls sitting by the stream. "We have requested for jounin-level shinobi considering Itachi Uchiha's interest in Aya Miyakuzi. It is probable that we will take her and the other women to Konoha instead until we have more information on the Akatsuki's interest with her. It will be safer for them all."

His gaze turned reflective. "It is interesting to find out what having Aya Miyakuzi will bring to Uchiha. Nami no Kuni is a peaceful country with no hidden shinobi village and at first glance, would hold no interest for the Akatsuki."

Ino pushed off with her good arm to stand. Neji's arm tightened around her waist and they stood up together. "I should check on her. She must be confused and frightened by all that's happened."

"Hn. I'll stay here for a while." Neji said, letting go of Ino. His gaze was on Tenten.

Ino nodded at Neji's direction and walked towards the cluster of girls. Two shinobi unknown to her were standing guard. Upon seeing her, a few of the girls started sobbing, among them little Aya Miyakuzi. She did what she can to comfort the girls but her mind stayed troubled.

_What would Akatsuki want with this girl? _Ino regarded Aya with disquiet. Everything Neji pointed out was true. The Land of Waves was a rich country but had no shinobi. Konoha is allied with them and they'd usually turn to Konoha if they need military assistance. Such was the case with the recovery of the daimyo's grand niece.

She leaned over the stream and splashed her face with water. She cupped her hands and drank her fill as well. Combing her fingers through her hair she pulled the blond mess into a high ponytail. Ino wiped a hand over her face and stood up.

Her gaze turned distant. Even with all the dangerous uproars she couldn't let go of Shikamaru's appearance. _So, this is why he disappeared._ Thinking about the treacherous mission he was on she bit her lip in worry. _Maybe now is not the time to talk to him about that last night of the festival._

She searched for his familiar figure and spied him leaning against one of the last few standing trees, his arms crossed against his chest with his head down, his loose hair covering his face.

Ino found herself walking in his direction. She couldn't help herself. After weeks of not seeing him it was impossible for her to stay away now that he was within reach.

Finally, she was standing in front of him. The wind chose that moment to gust strongly around them. Her hair flew upwards and tangled with his.

"Hello, Shikamaru." Ino said quietly, her fingers untangling her hair from his. His hand came up and covered hers. For a second, they stood frozen like that. Then, he pulled away.

"Hello, Ino." Shikamaru answered just as quietly. He looked at her, his eyes crinkling lazily. "Fancy meeting you here."

Ino caught her breath in her throat. She didn't realized how terribly she missed that familiar smile. Out of nowhere, her fist came up and punched him on the arm.

"OW! What's that for?!"

Surprised herself, Ino just muttered, "For leaving without warning, jerk."

Shikamaru rubbed the area she hit. "I don't see what's the big deal. You look just _fine_ to me."

The implication in his tone couldn't be missed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ino bristled.

Shikamaru jerked his head. "Nothing. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just glad you're ok."

Ino softened. "Oh." She suddenly felt tears about to overflow. "Damn." she muttered, swiftly turning away. She rubbed her eyes roughly.

"What's this? Tears for little ol' me?" Shikamaru's teasing voice floated behind her.

"Shut it." she muttered back.

"Hey, Ino." She felt his hands land on her shoulders, gently turning her around. "It's okay."

Ino stood with her head bowed, her arms on her side. "Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. Are you crazy?!" she railed. "Two of the most dangerous missing nin and you go chasing after them. I cannot believe you left without telling us. Without telling _me._ Anything could have happened. You'd definitely gotten hurt. Or worse. You could have died! You–mnphf!"

The rest of her words were muffled as Shikamaru crushed her to his chest, his arms tightening around her. "Gomen."

Her fists hit him once, twice on the back before her hands stilled. Her fists opened and her hands pressed on his back. She buried her face in his shirt, dampening it with the last of her tears.

"Gomen." He repeated gently.

They stood hugging each other. Just glad to be alive. To know the other was well.

After a while, Ino reluctantly extricated herself. She looked up at him silently, her eyes red.

"Yeah, I seem to be saying sorry to you a lot, huh?" Shikamaru smiled deprecatingly.

A sense of deja vu invaded her. She didn't want a repeat of that painful encounter.

"Don't." Ino interrupted. "Just don't."

She cupped his jaw, her touch butterfly light against the cut on his cheek. "I'm too happy to see you."

He covered her hand and pulled it down. "I'm happy to see you, too. You should head back to Neji." Shikamaru dropped her hand, "He might get upset."

"Huh–what?" Ino shook her head confusedly. "Why would Neji be upset?"

"Oy! Shikamaru!" Naruto voice burst the bubble around them.

Shikamaru looked over her shoulder. "Haaai. I'll be there in a sec." He turned back to Ino. "You should pack up. We'll be leaving soon." Then he turned and walked away leaving behind a dumbfounded Ino.

"Ino."

She looked around and found Neji a short distance away, her pack in his hand and Tenten held carefully behind his back.

She hurried towards him and took her bag. "Is Tenten okay?"

Neji shifted Tenten to a better position, her head cradled in the bend of his shoulder and neck. "Yes. But, the medic only took care of the worst of her injuries. She will require more attention once we reach our destination. I will take care of her for now. The Sand shinobi will assist us in transporting the women."

Nodding her assent Ino took off with the rest of the Sand shinobi assigned to the rescued girls. The two combined teams abandoned the decimated clearing and started their trek back home.

o00o

"All right then." Ino turned brightly at the girls before her. "We've set up these tents for everyone. We'll rest here while we wait for more of our friends."

"By friends, do you mean shinobi?" asked one girl curiously.

"Hai!" Ino's smile brightened further. "Just a few more of our friends who'll join us in our journey back home."

"To Nami no Kuni?"

"Errr…no. We're heading to Konoha instead."

"Um…why?" "Yeah, I thought we were going to the Land of the Waves." "I was looking forward to doing some shopping, you know." "Uhuh…"

As the babble of voices rose Ino wondered how such frightened girls who'd gone through so much trauma could bounce back so easily and already be thinking about shopping trips.

"It will be safer for everybody to go to Konoha. The danger is not yet past." Neji's calm voice cut through the chatter easily. His gaze landed on each of the girls present. "Please get some rest. Our fellow shinobi will be here soon and you will need energy for the last trek to Konoha."

"Eh, Neji." Ino leaned in close and raised her hand to hide her lips. "Shouldn't we all eat first? It's going to be at least a couple of hours for the reinforcements to get here."

WIthout blinking, Neji continued. "First, we will prepare a short repast in a few minutes. Please stay here for now."

Ino helped Neji unpack their bags. As soon as they arrived she took a quick break to change into her usual uniform. The cheongsam was already torn beyond repair anyway.

She set aside a few packets of food and dried venison as well as two canteens of water freshly replenished from a nearby river. Hunting game would take too long so they settled on picking enough berries and fruits from the surrounding area.

With the camp more or less settled temporarily, everybody decided to join in the meal with Neji and Ino. Tenten had finally awoken and was resting beside the campfire. They were within Konoha territory already and felt that starting a fire would be safe enough.

"Here. Have some water." Neji crouched gracefully besides Tenten's bedroll. He held out the canteen at her.

"Thanks, Neji." She drank greedily. "So, what happened?"

After Neji brought her up to speed on the events that occurred while she was knocked out, Tenten glanced around her wonderingly. She saw a huge wrapped bundle with a wooden seal secured with braided ropes on its front and was guarded from four sides by shinobi unknown to her.

"I take it that contains Sasuke?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Yes."

"Wow. Such security measures. I don't recognize the seal used to secure him."

"It is an unusual spell. A time delayer of sorts. It holds him in suspension inside the amber-like substance. Once it hardened, another seal was called forth hence the bandages covering it and the ropes around it. It was created especially for the Uchiha brothers. It is unfortunate but Itachi Uchiha escaped before the recovery team reached him."

"Shit." Tenten muttered.

"Tenten!"

"Well, it fits perfectly. It is a shitty thing to be in." She leaned over and tried to reach for a slice of smoked venison.

Neji lifted the tin plate and held it out to her silently.

"Thanks." She started munching on a juicy chunk. "So, how's Ino?" she asked casually.

"She seems glad to see Nara Shikamaru."

"You're ok with that?"

"Why should I be concerned about it? They are friends and teammates after all."

Tenten paused chewing. Slowly she resumed eating. "Sure. Sure." She swallowed and immediately began coughing.

Neji gave her back a quick pounding and held out the canteen of water once more. "Tenten, do not overextend yourself. Chew more slowly."

She gulped down the water and sighed. "I'm suddenly missing Lee."

"Yes. Lee would be of great help to us now." Neji said contemplatively. "His skills with taijutsu would have assisted us considerably with our skirmish at the auction. Not to mention Itachi Uchiha."

"I meant his bedside manner." Tenten mumbled.

"Hn?"

"Nothing." She continued eating in silence while Neji looked on.

Ino smiled as she looked at the pair across the campfire. It was surprising to see Neji acting so troubled over his teammate. His distress when she stayed unconscious even after all her wounds were treated was palpable. Now he hovered so protectively over her. He had eschewed eating until after he had taken care of Tenten's needs not that Tenten seems to be aware of that.

Ino leaned over and rested her chin against her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. Sitting there looking at the couple across from her she can't help but smile ruefully. Her gaze traveled to the faces ringing the camp.

There was Sakura, her expression heavy and eyes puffy from crying. She noticed she kept her back to the bundle that contained Sasuke. She wondered sadly what happened to them after she collapsed. She heard snippets of how Sakura got hurt so bad that the medic nin took a long time to heal her.

There was Naruto beside her but also subdued. He kept poking the fire and normally, Ino expected Sakura to berate Naruto over his behavior but she just ignored him and sat there not eating her food. Kakashi was trying to engage Naruto in conversation to no avail.

Given their success in recovering a former and yet still beloved teammate, you'd think they'd look for cheerful. Ino's gaze drifted to the case enclosing Sasuke. She could only hope being with people who loved and cared for him will help him return a semblance of his old cocky self. His older brother though….

Ino shivered at the memory of those glowing eyes. _How could the Godaime think sending out Shikamaru even with Kakashi in tow and an alliance with the Sand nin would be enough to capture one of the Akatsuki?_

She always looked up to the Godiame and trusted in her good judgement but after their encounter with the rogue non she couldn't help that touch of anger at Tsunade-sama for putting Shikamaru on this mission.

"Yo."

Jarred out of her reverie, Ino twisted her head and looked up at Temari's smiling face.

"Hey, Temari." She went back to staring at the fire.

Ino felt the other girl settle down beside her. "Aren't you eating?"

"In a bit." Ino picked up her canteen and drank some water.

"What a day, huh?" Temari started. She leaned back on her elbows. "Haaaa. I'm beat."

Ino looked at the Sand nin curiously.

"We've been chasing after those Uchihas for too long and still we only got one of them." She gestured at Sasuke. "We figured we covered our tracks pretty well. Maybe good enough for the younger one but apparently not the older Uchiha. Should have foreseen that, what with Itachi's reputation and all."

"Yeah." Ino slumped. "He was a great Konoha shinobi. Or so I've heard. Earlier today certainly proved that." She shivered again. "Can't believe the Godaime sent you out against them."

"We-ell." Temari paused. "Someone had to do it. That's why we formed the alliance for this mission. We knew what we were up against. Konoha was somewhat shorthanded but the opportunity was too good to miss. Gaara shouldn't have come. Him being the Kage and all but he just had to go support his best bud, Naruto."

Temari chuckled. "You should have seen the hue and cry at the council meeting."

Ino smiled at that. "I could imagine."

"So…." Temari's voice trailed off.

"Yeah?" Ino inquired.

"Shikamaru sure is a good leader."

Ino burst in laughter. "Is that what you really wanted to say?" she asked after her laughter subsided.

"Nah. Not really." Temari gave her a look. "Are you guys okay now?"

Ino kept quiet.

"Just saying. Shikamaru's a great guy. He _is_ a good leader. He also has it bad for you."

At this, Ino jerked in surprise. Her head whipped around to stare at Temari.

Temari rubber the back of her neck and fluffed her hair self-consciously. "I mean–hmmn….maybe I shouldn't have said that last part. Not my business after all."

"No, wait!" Ino grabbed hold of Temari's arm. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Ummm–"

Ino bent closer. "Tell me, Temari."

"We-ell. He didn't really say it or anything. It's just that I know the guy, you know? He's like one my brothers." Temari looked off into space. "He was really down when we left for the mission and while we chased after the Uchihas he was really singleminded about it. Like he was trying to escape something. Then, when we got to that clearing and he saw you lying on the ground like that. Seriously, you looked so pitiful. Like a broken china doll, and all."

Ino waved this away, impatient to hear the rest. "And so?"

"Well, he immediately went for you. It's like he completely forgot we had both Itachi and Sasuke right in front of us. WIthin reach and all. His eyes were all for you."

"Frankly, he was completely useless to us until he became certain you were still breathing." Temari continued bluntly. "By then of course we had our hands full with a rampaging Sasuke and Itachi was long gone."

Ino leaned back. "Oh." She pondered on what Temari said, her heart beginning to pound in hope.

"So, what do you make of it?" Temari asked curiously.

Ino's eyes searched the campfire looking for a familiar silhouette. When she found him her back straightened. "Maybe, I'm not too late." she whispered.

"Eh?" Temari leaned in closer.

"Ino stood up rubbing her suddenly damp palms on her tights. "Thanks, Temari."

Temari shot off a cocky salute. "Gambatte."

o00o

Shikamaru purposely kept his distance from the camp. He focused on going over the events of the past few hours, analyzing what they did and how Itachi managed to detect their presence. It was a habit of his. This exercise of over analyzing a mission once it was completed. He felt the bite of failure already eating at him. At least, it kept his thoughts from wandering to Ino... His face darkened. _Think about the mission. _

On the one hand they have Sasuke. On the other, they totally lost the upper hand with Itachi. Now that Itachi was aware that his case was active and that Konoha shinobi are after him he would probably go into hiding or at least distance himself away from Konoha territory.

Shikamaru shook his head. What was he thinking? Itachi wouldn't hide. He had once boldly entered Konoha and nearly kidnapped Naruto. If not for Jiraiya-sama….Knowing he was being targeting by Konoha shinobi would just probably amuse him.

"Shikamaru?"

He focused on the woman standing before him. "Ino."

"Can we walk for a bit?"

He looked up at the sky. Judging by the position of the stars they still had half an hour before the reserve team arrived.

"We should stay close to camp." he said.

They walked through the forest in silence. Shikamaru kept his hands in his pockets and breathed deeply. "What's this about?"

Ino felt a wave of uncertainty nearly overwhelm her. "Ano…"

Shikamaru gazed down at her broodingly. "Spit it out, Ino."

"Well if you're gonna be like that–" Ino snapped. She abruptly stopped and let out a small chuckle. "It's always gonna be like this between us, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked warily. Being this close to her was bringing up all sorts of unwelcome memories. Painful memories. He shut down that train of thought quickly.

"Pushing and pulling. Snapping at each other." Ino answered ruefully.

They stood silently for a long moment.

"I don't know what you want me to say." Shikamaru finally muttered. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced into the distance. "If this is about what happened before..." his voice trailed off.

Shikamaru looked up at the sky and squeezed his eyes shut. He let out a sigh. "Nothing's changed, Ino. I'm glad you're safe. That's all."

Shikamaru took a step back. "If there's nothing else, we should head back. Neji will worry about you."

"Why do you keep bringing up Neji?"

Shikmaru stopped. _Was she really going to make me say it? _he thought bleakly.

"Because you're together." His voice leaden, he continued. "I wish you every happiness." His lips tightened as he said that. It was a lie. He didn't want her happy to be with another guy. He wanted to be that guy. The hopelessness in that thought bit at him painfully. Wishing her happiness with another guy ate at him like acid.

He began walking again.

"I'm not, you know. In a relationship with him, I mean." Ino's voice called out to him.

Shikamaru froze. "Oh."

_But then, nothing's changed between us. I'm still in love with her. And she….she will never see me as anything more than the guy who was bothersome to her. _Eyes pained, he schooled his expression to one of unconcern.

He faced Ino. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know how much he means to you." Every word was practically bitten off.

Ino gazed at him searchingly. "You left before I could tell you." she said softly.

She stepped closer until she was only a hairs breath away from him. She looked at him for a long moment, memorizing his features. The minute changes wrought by the terrible burden of this mission. She saw the pain in his eyes even though he was trying to keep his face so stoic.

She cradled his face in her hands and pulled his head closer. She saw his eyes widen.

"Shikamaru."

Ino leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes, trusting in her heart.

"I love you."

She felt the tears threaten to fall and she squeezed her eyes close tighter. Ino bit her trembling lip.

"I love you, Shikamaru." she whispered. "So much."

Then the tears began to fall.

For a long crystalline moment the forest held its breath. A calm quiet fell on them.

Then, she felt warm hands cover her own. She opened her eyes and leaned back to look at the face before her. _His eyes aren't full of pain anymore. _Ino thought wonderingly.

Shikamaru bent closer, his eyes intense. "I love you too, Ino."

His lips met hers. Her lips parted. The gentle kiss quickly turned fierce. Ino wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his silky hair. She felt Shikamaru wrap his arms around her. His arms tightened and lifted her higher against his chest.

They stayed locked in that embrace for what felt like an eternity. A warm glow spread over Ino. When they broke apart, Shikamaru spun around, laughing. Her feet went flying.

Ino clutched him tighter. "Hey!"

Shikamaru kissed her again. She felt herself sink into the kiss. The pleasure spreading all over her. Her heart was pounding crazily and her fingertips were tingling.

When Shikamaru finally put her down she was out of breath. He kept his arms tightly around her as he gazed at her face. He raised a hand and rubbed her bee-stung lips. She looked up at him and did the same.

"I love you, Ino." Shikamaru whispered. "It feels like I've come home."

"I love you too, Shikamaru." Ino whispered back. "Welcome home."


End file.
